Treatment of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy with methotrexate

J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2006 Apr;77(4):544-7. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2005.074781.

Abstract

We discovered many reports of other immunosuppressive drugs being used in adults with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) but none of methotrexate. As weekly low dose oral methotrexate is safe, effective, and well tolerated in other diseases, we treated 10 patients with otherwise treatment resistant CIDP. Seven showed improvement in strength by at least two points on the MRC sum score and three worsened. Only two showed an improvement in disability and both were also receiving corticosteroids. We discuss the difficulty of detecting an improvement in treatment resistant CIDP and propose methotrexate as a suitable agent for testing in a randomised trial.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / therapeutic use*
  • Disability Evaluation
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Methotrexate / therapeutic use*
  • Middle Aged
  • Polyradiculoneuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating / drug therapy*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
  • Methotrexate