A practical approach to the use of intravenous immunoglobulin in neurological disease

Treatment outcome and incidence of psychiatric disorders in dermatological out-patients

OBJECTIVE

Epidemiological studies have shown that the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among dermatological patients is high. We aimed at estimating the short-term incidence of psychiatric disorders among patients with skin disease.

METHODS

The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to identify subjects free from psychiatric morbidity at their first dermatological visit. The GHQ-12 was administered again after 1 month during a computer-assisted telephone interview.

RESULTS

A total of 277 subjects was included in the study. At the follow-up interview, 21 (7.6%) were found to have significant psychiatric morbidity. Only lack of improvement was associated with increased incidence of psychiatric morbidity (13.6%), with an odds ratio of 3.1 (95% confidence interval 1.2-7.8), after adjustment for gender, age, educational level and clinical severity.

CONCLUSIONS

Physicians should devote special attention to the risk of psychiatric complications in patients who have not improved with treatment.

Treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory neuropathies

Experimental models have suggested potential new treatments for human inflammatory neuropathy, but current practice is largely based on empirical trials. Evidence from randomized trials supports the use of intravenous immunoglobulin in Guillain-Barré syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) and multifocal motor neuropathy with conduction block (MMNCB). In Guillain-Barré syndrome and CIDP intravenous immunoglobulin is equivalent to but more convenient than plasma exchange. In MMNCB adequate comparative studies of intravenous immunoglobulin and plasma exchange have not been performed. Corticosteroid treatment is beneficial in CIDP, but not in Guillain-Barré syndrome and may worsen MMNCB. More randomized trials and systematic reviews are needed to improve the evidence base for clinical practice.