Table 2.

Large randomized controlled trials for inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathies

GBS	# of Patients	Treatment	Control	Duration	Disability Improvement at 1 month	Common Side Effects
GBS Steroid70	242	500 mg IV MP	Saline placebo	48 weeks	0.8 vs. 0.73 (p=0.06)	Hypertension in placebo
Van Koningsveld71	225	500 mg IV MP and IVIG 0.4 gm/kg for 5 days	IVIG 0.4 gm/kg for 5 days	1 year	≥1 point in 68% vs. 56% of (p=0.06)	Hypertension and UTI in placebo, elevated blood glucose in Rx group
McKhann72	245	3–5 PE in 7 to 14 days	Supportive Care	6 months	≥1 point in 59% vs. 39% (p=0.01).	No significant difference
Raphael73	220	4 PE in 8 days	Supportive Care	6 months	≥1 point in 61.5% vs. 37% (P < 0.001).	Sepsis in Rx group, blood pressure instability and pneumonia in control group
PSGBS Study Group74	383	IVIG 0.4 gm/kg for 5 days	5–6 PE in 8 to 13 days or PE followed by IVIG	48 weeks	0.8 IVIG, 0.9 PE, 1.1 PE followed by IVIG (No statistically significant difference between any of these three groups)	No significant difference
CIDP	# of Patients	Treatment	Control	Duration	Disability Improvement (INCAT)	Common Side Effects
Hughes47 (Ice trial)	117	IVIG 2 g/kg over 2–4 days and then 1 g/kg over 1–2 days every 3 weeks	Albumin	24 weeks	≥1 point in 54% vs. 21% (p=0·0002)	Headache and fever were more common in IVIG group

GBS=Guillain-Barre syndrome, MP=methylprednisolone, IVIG=intravenous immunoglobulin, UTI=urinary tract infection, PE=plasma exchange, CIDP=chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, INCAT=inflammatory neuropathy cause and treatment scale