Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is a chronic disease which can lead to many functional impairments, and like most other chronic disorders it might significantly affect quality of life (QoL). Information about QoL in patients with CIDP from developing countries is still lacking. We, therefore, sought to complete these data mosaic by investigating QoL in patients with CIDP from Serbia and surrounding countries. Our study comprised 106 patients diagnosed with CIDP. QoL was investigated using the Serbian version of the SF-36 questionnaire. The Medical Research Council 0-5 point scale, INCAT motor and sensory scores, Krupp's Fatigue Severity Scale, and Beck Depression Inventory were also used. Factors that significantly correlated with SF-36 total score in univariate analysis were included in the multiple linear regression analysis. Physical domains of the SF-36 were more affected than mental, and the overall score was 56.6 ± 25.4. Significant predictors of worse SF-36 score in our patients with CIDP were severe fatigue (β = - 0.331, p < 0.01), higher INCAT motor score (β = - 0.301, p < 0.01), depression (β = - 0.281, p < 0.01), being unemployed/retired (β = - 0.188, p < 0.05), and shorter duration of CIDP (β = + 0.133, p < 0.01). QoL was reduced in CIDP patients, especially in physical domains. Patients with presence of fatigue and depression, with more severe motor disability, unemployed/retired ones, and those with shorter duration of the disease need special attention of clinicians since they could be at higher risk to have worse QoL.

To date, generic questionnaires have been used to investigate quality of life (QoL) in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) patients. Although these measures are very useful, they are not usually precise enough to measure all specific characteristics of the disease. Our aim was to investigate QoL using the neuromuscular disease-specific questionnaire (individualized neuromuscular quality of life, INQoL) in a large cohort of patients with CIDP. Our study comprised 106 patients diagnosed with CIDP. INQoL questionnaire, Medical Research Council (MRC) sum score, Inflammatory Neuropathy Cause and Treatment (INCAT) disability score, Visual Analogue Pain Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Krupp's Fatigue Severity Scale were used in our study. Physical domains of INQoL were more affected than mental, and the overall score was 57 ± 25. Significant predictors of higher INQoL score in our patients with CIDP were severe fatigue (β = 0.35, p < 0.01), higher INCAT disability score at time of testing (β = 0.29, p < 0.01), and being unemployed/retired (β = 0.22, p < 0.05). QoL was reduced in our cohort of CIDP patients, which was more pronounced in physical segments. Patients with fatigue, more severe disability, and unemployed/retired need special attention of neurologists because they could be at greater risk to have worse QoL.

Our results showed mild to moderate QoL impairment in the patients with diabetic polyneuropathy. HRQoL significantly correlated with the age of the patients, muscle strength, disability, sensory complaints, depressiveness and anxiety of the patients. Electrophysiological examination of median nerve significantly correlated with QoL in the patients with diabetic polyneuropathy.

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Diabetic neuropathy represents late diabetes complications, and diabetes duration and long-term hyperglycemia are the main reasons for polyneuropathy. The goal was to estimate the effects of alpha-lipoic acid on symptoms of diabetic neuropathy after 600 mg i.v. for 3 weeks and 3 months of 300-600 mg of alpha-lipoic acid per os. This study has been designed as a multicentric, in 5-centers in B&H, carried out by 5 physicians with 20 diabetic patients each. Following parameters were monitored in 100 diabetics suffering from Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, both men and women: diabetes duration, diabetes therapy, duration of polyneuropathy symptoms, height, weight, BMI (body mass index), subjective assessment of patients, objective examinations of physicians and subjective assessment of physicians. 100 diabetics, average age 61,36; oldest 79, youngest 40, suffered from diabetes in average 11,9 years. There were 35 men and 65 women, 16 with Type 1 and 80 with Type 2 diabetes, while 4 patients were not classified. 69 were having insulin therapy and 31 oral hypoglicemics. Shortest diabetic status was less than a year, and longest was 28 years. Average duration of polyneuropathic symptoms was 3,02 years, shortest was less than a year, and the longest was 15 years. Average height was 1,70 m, average weight 76,13 kg, and average BMI 26,51 kg/m2. Significant statistic differences in improvement were recorded (P>0,05) according to Fridman's test for repeated measurements compared to initial findings in assessments: sensory symptoms of polyneuropathy, pain sensations as polyneuropathy symptoms, total score of polyneuropathy symptoms, subjective assessment of patients, subjective findings of physicians, and significant differences were not find (P>0,05) in autonomous and motoric neuropathy. Based on the conducted study, we have concluded that the application of alpha-lipoic acid during 3 months has helped to decrease the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy and in only one case out of 100 included patients there was no subjective improvement after drug application.