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Introduction: The association between chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and diabetes is uncertain despite important diagnostic and management implications.Methods: We retrospectively analysed two European cohorts, totaling 257 patients with 'definite' or 'probable' CIDP, from Serbia and Birmingham, UK.Results: Diabetes was present at CIDP diagnosis in 25/139 (18%) subjects in the Serbian cohort and in 23/118 (19.5%) in the UK cohort. In both cohorts, diabetes prevalence was higher than local general population prevalence rates (RR: 2.09; 95% CI 1.39 to 2.95 and RR: 2.22; 95% CI 1.46 to 3.17, respectively). Considering typical CIDP only, diabetes prevalence was greater than expected in both cohorts (RR: 2.58; 95% CI 1.60 to 3.82 and RR: 2.68; 95% CI 1.71 to 3.87, respectively). CIDP with diabetes occurred later in life than CIDP without diabetes (58.96 years, SD: 11.09 vs 51.71 years, SD: 16.02; p=0.003) and presented more frequently in the typical form than in patients without diabetes (79.2% vs 61.2%; p=0.02). Baseline Inflammatory Neuropathy Cause and Treatment disability scores were similar in patients with and without diabetes (p=0.90). Proportions of treatment responders were similar in both groups (70% vs 74.9%; p=0.65), as were response amplitudes (p=0.87).Discussion: Our results, both for all CIDP and typical CIDP presentations, support a twofold increased relative risk of diabetes compared with the general population. CIDP with diabetes appears to present older and more frequently in the typical form, as compared with CIDP without diabetes. CIDP with diabetes appears similar to CIDP without diabetes in disability levels at diagnosis and probability, as well as amplitude of treatment response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory neuropathies may occur with diverse presentations in subjects with diabetes. Separating these neuropathies from typical diabetic polyneuropathy is important as prognosis and treatment differ. Diabetic lumbosacral radiculoplexus neuropathy and diabetic cervical radiculoplexus neuropathy are common and need to be readily recognized as require pain relief but no immunotherapy, and as are of generally good prognosis. Prompt diagnosis is important in vasculitic neuropathy in diabetes which requires similar diagnostic and treatment strategies as in non-diabetic subjects. Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) in diabetes has been the subject of controversy and uncertainty in recent years with divergent results from different non-population based and epidemiological studies. Some suggested an increased risk of CIDP with diabetes, while others did not. The clinical features take priority when considering CIDP in diabetic patients. Electrophysiology, although helpful for diagnostic confirmation, may however in practice pose problems with regards to technique and interpretation. This may result both in under- and overdiagnosis of CIDP in subjects with underlying diabetic polyneuropathy. Recent studies from different the U.K., Serbia and Italy, of 650 subjects with "definite" or "probable" CIDP, appear to confirm a higher prevalence of diabetes in CIDP populations, which is of later onset compared to subjects without diabetes. Data from these recent studies also suggest typical CIDP may be the predominant form in diabetic subjects, with however persistent uncertainty remaining with regards to disability levels and treatment response compared to subjects without diabetes. This implies that treatment strategies for subjects with CIDP and diabetes should not differ from those in subjects without diabetes, except for precautionary measures with regards diabetic control and vascular risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]