Association between polyneuritis and multiple sclerosis.

Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy Associated With Multiple Sclerosis

“…40 The question of a chance association between MS and CIDP in our patients and previously reported cases seems unlikely considering the prevalence of MS (75/ 100,000) 41 and the rarity of CIDP (1.9-7.7/ 100,000). 42 The hypothesis that CIDP is an extension of the CNS demyelinating pathological process from spinal cord into proximal nerve roots is equally untenable, based on the temporal dissociation of the CNS and PNS attacks in our and previously reported cases, 6,7,11,[14][15][16][17][18][19] and the fact that PNS myelin differs in structure. The occurrence of both CNS and PNS disorders in this subset of patients raises the question of common pathogenetic mechanisms and may represent a unique disorder with a distinct pathogenesis.…”

“…However, there is growing evidence of common risk factors. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Involvement of both PNS and CNS myelin may represent a specific subpopulation of patients with common immunopathogenetic mechanisms, including but not limited to, shared myelin antigens, common immunologic factors, endothelial alterations, and altered expression of adhesion molecules. 12 Except for a few case reports, 6,7,[9][10][11][14][15][16][17] the majority of previous publications focused on the association of disorders indistinguishable from multiple sclerosis (MS) and any type of PNS involvement.…”

Acute pure motor neuropathy with antibodies to gangliosides in a patient with multiple sclerosis

“…Thus this patient was affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) and developed a pure motor axonal GuillainBarré syndrome (GBS) with antiganglioside antibodies (AGA) after ganglioside administration. To our knowledge, only three cases with definite MS who developed isolated GBS have been described [3,12], the association seeming, thus, coincidental. A possible cross-reactivity of central and peripheral nervous systems to myelin antigens, similar to that occurring in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis [10] has, however, been hypothesized in GBS occurring in association with central attacks [1,2,9].…”

Acute axonal form of Guillain–Barré syndrome in a multiple sclerosis patient: chance association or linked disorders?

“…The possible coexistence of central and peripheral nervous system (CNS and PNS) impairment is also suggested by the occasional presence in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) of white matter T2‐positive multiple lesions on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ( Mendell et al ., 1987 ). The association of Guillain–Barré Syndrome (GBS) and MS is very rare, even if both disorders are considered to be of immune‐mediated origin, and until now only five cases of typical GBS in MS cases have been reported ( Forrester and Lascelles, 1979 ; Lassmann et al ., 1981 ; Best, 1985; Pareyson et al ., 1993 ). We describe a patient with clinically definite MS and GBS characterized by severe and diffuse axonal degeneration of nerve fibers.…”