OBJECTIVES: Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), characterized by progressive weakness and impaired sensory function, is a rare autoimmune inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nervous system. Population-level real-world evidence are limited; this study aimed to describe patient characteristics and evaluate the annual healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) among patients with CIDP in Sweden.

METHODS: Data were obtained from four nationwide population-based longitudinal registers provided by the National Board of Health and Welfare in Sweden and linked through the unique personal identity number. Patients with ≥ 1 diagnosis of CIDP (ICD-10 G61.8) from 01/01/2001 to 12/30/2017 were selected. Date of the first CIDP diagnosis was designated as index date. Patients with index date coinciding with death date or censoring date were excluded. All individuals were followed until death, lost to follow up or end of study. Baseline patient characteristics and all-cause and CIDP-related HCRU within 1-year post-index period were evaluated for patients with a follow-up of up to 16 years.

RESULTS: A total of 1,444 patients with CIDP were identified from 2001 and 2017 and followed up for a median of 5.58 years (Q1-Q3: 2.06-10.2). Mean (±SD) age at index date was 58.7 (±17.0) years; 37% were female. During the first year post-CIDP diagnosis, 62.5% of patients had ≥1 all-cause inpatient admission; 48.1% had ≥ 1 CIDP-related admission (n=695), of which 36.7% spent >1 month as a CIDP-related inpatient admission. 95.9% of patients had >= 1 all-cause outpatient specialist services; most patients (78.7%, n=1,136) had ≥ 1 CIDP-related specialist visits, of which 12% had > 5 CIDP-related visits during 1-year post-index period.

CONCLUSIONS: CIDP is a rare disease and the HCRU for patients with CIDP are considerable. Future research should explore disease management strategies to ensure optimal outcomes for patients and healthcare decision makers.