Addressing the True Burden of CIDP in Clinical Practice: Karen Lynch, MD, MRCPI

WATCH TIME: 3 minutes

“CIDP is still fundamentally a clinical diagnosis, and that creates real challenges. Without a clear biomarker, even experienced neurologists can struggle, and delays in diagnosis ultimately impact long-term patient outcomes.”

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a rare, immune-mediated neuropathy characterized by progressive weakness, sensory dysfunction, and impaired mobility due to demyelination of peripheral nerves. Although considered a treatable condition, CIDP remains associated with substantial long-term disability, particularly when diagnosis and treatment are delayed.¹ Early recognition is critical, as timely intervention can help prevent irreversible nerve damage and improve functional outcomes.

Despite the availability of established therapies, including intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), corticosteroids, and plasma exchange, treatment response in CIDP is often variable. A meaningful proportion of patients either fail to respond to first-line therapy or experience only partial improvement, underscoring the need for more effective and durable treatment strategies.² In parallel, emerging therapeutic approaches, including targeted immunomodulatory agents such as complement inhibitors, are being investigated to address persistent disease activity and unmet clinical needs.

At the 2026 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting, held April 18-22, in Chicago, Illinois, Karen Lynch, MD, MPH, senior global medical director at Sanofi, discussed the evolving CIDP landscape, with a focus on disease burden, diagnostic challenges, and ongoing therapeutic development. In a conversation with NeurologyLive®, Lynch outlined the persistent unmet need in CIDP, including variability in treatment response and the consequences of delayed or inaccurate diagnosis. She also discusses the clinical challenges neurologists face in distinguishing CIDP from mimicking conditions, the limitations of current diagnostic approaches, and the importance of advancing biomarker development to improve diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes.

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REFERENCES
1. Mathey EK, Park SB, Hughes RA, et al. Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy: from pathology to phenotype. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2015;86(9):973-985. doi:10.1136/jnnp-2014-309697
2. Van den Bergh PYK, van Doorn PA, Hadden RDM, et al. European Academy of Neurology/Peripheral Nerve Society guideline on diagnosis and treatment of CIDP. Eur J Neurol. 2021;28(11):3556-3583. doi:10.1111/ene.14959