Chronic cryptogenic polyneuropathy. The search for a cause

Abstract

91 patients with chronic symptoms of polyneuropathy without any previously known underlying disorder underwent extensive clinical and laboratory investigations in an attempt to reveal the cause of the polyneuropathy. A definite or probable origin of polyneuropathy was detected in only 8 patients (9%) and a possible but questionable cause was found in 16 (17%), while the cause in 74% remained undetermined. In only 1 patient could effective treatment be instituted. No evidence was found for an association between polyneuropathy and reduced glucose tolerance without manifest diabetes mellitus. The findings suggest that only a limited investigation is justified in most cases of chronic polyneuropathy without obvious cause.