Cytotoxic drugs and interferons for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.
BACKGROUND
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy is a disease causing progressive or relapsing and remitting weakness and numbness. It is probably due to an autoimmune inflammatory process. Immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory drugs would be expected to be beneficial.


OBJECTIVE
We aimed to review systematically the evidence from randomised trials concerning cytotoxic drugs and interferons for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.


METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Neuromuscular Disease Group trials register (searched December 2001), MEDLINE (searched January 1977 to December 2001), EMBASE (January 1980 to December 2001), CINAHL (searched January 1982 to December 2001) and LILACS (searched January 1982 to December 2001). We contacted the authors of the trials identified and other disease experts seeking other published and unpublished trials.


METHODS
We sought randomised and quasi-randomised trials of all immunosuppressive agents such as azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, cyclosporin A, mycophenolate mofetil, and rituximab and all immunomodulatory agents such as alpha interferon and beta interferon in participants fulfilling standard diagnostic criteria for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.


METHODS
Two of us independently selected the trials which met our criteria, judged their methodological quality and extracted the data onto specially designed forms. We wanted to measure the change in disability after one year as our primary outcome measure.


RESULTS
We found one parallel group open trial of azathioprine for nine months involving 27 participants and another of interferon beta involving 10 participants in a double blind crossover trial with each treatment period lasting 12 weeks. Neither trial provided our primary outcome measure and neither showed a significant beneficial effect on any of the outcome measures selected by the authors or ourselves in the protocol for this review.


CONCLUSIONS
The evidence is inadequate to decide whether azathioprine, interferon beta or any other immunosuppressive drug or interferon is beneficial in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.
Hughes
R A
RA
Department of Neuroimmunology, Guy's, King's and St Thomas' School of Medicine, 2nd Floor Hodgkin Building, Guy's Hospital, London, UK, SE1 1UL. richard.a.hughes@kcl.ac.uk
Swan
A V
AV
van Doorn
P A
PA
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001379:Azathioprine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020277:Polyradiculoneuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013256:Steroids
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D013256:Steroids; D016899:Interferon-beta; D016572:Cyclosporine; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D001379:Azathioprine