If you need any type of help in getting treatment. Please contact us for support.
We will help in connecting patients to physicians . Help in insurance issues and
providing research and medical literature to guide you and your doctor to
current treatments.
If you need research articles to be sent to your doctor we can do
that for you at cost.
There is a young man who had been to three neurologist who
examined him and said that there was nothing wrong with him. We
referred him to new neurologist and sent the guidelines by Dr
Dalakas . This resulted in a IVIg prescription and of course
followed by improvement in this young mans condition.
Intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) has also been found to be
beneficial. It remains the cornerstone of CIDP treatment. IVIG
is usually given in divided doses over 4 or 5 consecutive days at a
total dose of 2g/kg. Dr. Dalakas has shown that if the total
infusion can be given in two large doses it works better for the
patient. He also recommends that for all the neurological disorders
the dose of IVIg should be 2gm/kg.
Maintenance doses are often needed at monthly intervals to
maintain clinical response. Serious side effects of IVIG treatment
are rare, (fatal anaphylaxis in IgA-deficient patients seen in { In
patients who have anti IgA antibodies}. We recommend
that before the infusion the total IgA level be measured. If the
level is below 58 then anti IgA ANTIBODIES NEED TO BE MEASURED.
However a case has been reported with IgA LEVEL of 58 who later
developed IgA reaction. So a careful history should be taken of all
patients first starting IVIg.
Also if the lab reports IgA <20 IT MAY BE SAFE TO ASSUME THAT IT
IS ZERO.
Potential nephrotoxicity, especially in patients with
pre-existing renal disease.
For those that are resistant to IVIg therapy one needs to check
if the dose being given is correct. If the dose has been 2g/kg then
one can consider adding steroids to the IVIg. If that does not work
then Cyclophosphamide, Rituxan, Cyclosporin can be considered.
IVIg is used as a rescue therapy or first line agent and then a
second line agent is started like cyclosporin. In time this becomes
the agent of choice for chronic maintenance.
Do not forget about supplements we recommend alpha lapoic acid
and colostrum with omega 3 fatty acids.
Questions.
Why do some people get autoimmune disease?
The people who get autoimmune diseases have immune systems that
overreact to environmental toxins and may be suffering from immune
deficiency (IgG sub class deficiency). They may have developed autoantibodies,( antibodies against self). Not all the people with
autoantibodies get autoimmune disease. Due to injury their protected
proteins may get exposed to their immune system which starts producing
autoantibodies.
Questions.
Which Sex gets more autoimmune diseases?
Women get the autoimmune diseases much more than men. Almost three
times more. When the man gets past age 30 he also starts getting more
autoimmune diseases, due to a deficiency.
C.I.D.P. is the only disease men get more frequently than women.
Questions.
When is a good time to get treatment for
autoimmune diseases?
The best time is as soon as possible.
Treatment only needs to be given in a attack phase, during the
remission expensive treatments like IVIg are not used.
Questions.
What should be the first line of treatment?
We recommend that antibiotics should be the first line of treatment.
For every disease there is a specific antibiotic, fully explained in our
E-Book.
Questions.
Does the CIDP site help getting appointments
with specific doctors?
Yes we will suggest who to see to get help. You can also get help by
writing to us about your problems and we can tell you what you have.
There will be a small charge. This saves you a lot of time and
money..
Questions.
Does CIDP site assist in getting home IVIg ?
Yes we make referrals.
Questions.Will the muscle weakness continue
to deteriorate?
Improves with anti-inflammatory treatment like IVIG,
prednisone........
Questions.
What are treatment options?
IVIG, plasmapheresis, Prednisone, Cytoxan,
rituxan, remicade, Imuran, cyclosporin,enbral
Questions.
Will steroids control
the symptoms?
Yes it takes about 60days but watch
out for weight gain, cataracts, stomach ulcers, osteoporosis,
depression, anger outbursts, proximal muscle weakness., hip fractures......
Questions.
What are the side effects of these drugs?
Steroids have the most side effects
look above, read about the IVIg side
effects in the IVIG section.
Questions.
Would
plasma exchange help?
Yes for a short time. Thus has to be
repeated.
Questions.
What is the long-term outlook?
If
treatment is started early its good.
Questions.
I am in a remission phase do I need treatment?
General answer is no. Some people may need treatment to maintain
their condition so they do not get a relapse.
Questions.
I have CIDP what is my future outlook regarding
this disease?
In the past some of these patients would be wheelchair bound. With
modern treatments they have led active lives.
Questions.
I have
AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE , what is the best reading guide for me and my
family.?
The best guide is ! Please
follow the link for the autoimmune E-Book.
