A Case of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy in a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is characterized by symmetrical weakness, impaired sensation, absent or diminished tendon reflexes, an elevated cerebrospinal fluid protein level and nerve-conduction studies that show demyelination. The occurrence of CIDP in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been rarely reported. We experienced a case of a 33 year-old woman with SLE and she presented with fever, abdominal pain, a tingling sensation of both of her hands and feet, and symmetrical weakness in both the proximal and distal extremities. Her symptoms had persisted for over 1 months before she visited our department. The CSF examination showed an elevated protein level and the nerve conduction studies revealed demyelination. Her symptoms showed minimal improvement with high dose steroid and immunoglobulin therapy, but she responded to cyclophosphamide therapy.