Functioning of patients with chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy (CIAP)

Although patients with Chronic Idiopathic Axonal Polyneuropathy (CIAP) report a slow deterioration of sensory and motor functions, the impact of this deterioration on daily functioning has not yet been investigated in detail. The first aim of this crosssectional study involving 56 patients with CIAP was, therefore, to assess patients’ functioning with use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The second aim was to find determinants of walking ability, dexterity, and autonomy. Fatigue and limited walking ability were present in most patients and differed considerably. In regression models, age, muscle strength, and fatigue together explained 63% of the variance in walking ability, which by itself explained almost 50% of the variance in patients’ autonomy indoors and outdoors (42% and 49%, respectively). Muscle strength and sensory function scores together explained 30% of the variance in dexterity scores, which in turn explained only 13% of the variance in autonomy indoors. The diminished autonomy of patients with CIAP might be improved by reducing fatigue, by means of training, and by improving walking ability

Disease course of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2 - A 5-year follow-up study

Background: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) type 2 is the axonal variant of an inherited, sensorimotor polyneuropathy. To our knowledge, the clinical course of CMT type 2 has never been prospectively studied in a large group of patients. Objective: To prospectively evaluate the disease course of patients with CMT type 2. Methods: We prospectively evaluated the disease course in patients with CMT type 2. Forty-three patients (24 men) of 27 families with CMT type 2 were included. All patients were analyzed by the same investigator at entry and after 5 years. The standardized protocol included manual muscle testing, which could lead to a motor sum score of 140 points, and quantification of sensory deficit. Disability was assessed using the modified Rankin scale, and. quality of life was assessed using the RAND 36-item health survey questionnaire. Eighteen families were tested for known mutations in the MPZ, PMP22, and. GJB1 genes. Results: At entry, the mean +/- SD age of the patients was 52 +/- 14 years, and the mean +/- SD duration of disease was 12 +/- 8 years. The median motor sum score deteriorated from 135 to 128 points (P = .02). Progression was never rapid. There was no sensory deterioration. The Rankin score decreased by 1 point in 16 patients. At follow-up, more patients needed walking aids, but most patients remained ambulant. The number of patients with claw toes increased, whereas the number of patients with foot deformities such as pes cavus and short calf muscles remained stable. There was no correlation between deterioration and age. Analysis of quality of life did not show any changes. In one family, a mutation in the GJB1 gene was found. Conclusion: This prospective study shows a slow deterioration of muscle strength and increase in disability in CMT type 2 during a 5-year follow-up perio