ABSTRACT
Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy has become first-line therapy for GuillainBarré syndrome (GBS) based upon a demonstrated equal efficacy with plasma exchange (PE) but with greater convenience and fewer side-effects1. In chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), IVIG has also been shown to have equal efficacy to PE2 and steroid therapy1 and to be more effective than placebo3-5. Although it needs to be given repeatedly, the side-effects of such treatment are less severe than those resulting from chronic steroid or immunosuppressive therapy, and it is more convenient than PE; hence, in CIDP it has also become first-line therapy in most centers.
