[Follow-up study of patients with chronic motor axonal neuropathy].

OBJECTIVE

To study the characteristic of chronic motor axonal neuropathy and the prognosis of it.

METHODS

16 chronic motor axonal neuropathy (CMAN) patients were diagnosed by clinical manifestation and neurophysiologic manifestation. Follow-up study was done including living state, medicine they taken, change of physical sign and motor unit number estimation. 60 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis were studies at the same time. The prognosis of these patients was compared.

RESULTS

After being treated with intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, the patients with CMAN showed a good clinical recovery except 6 patients who had the characteristic of ALS in the 18 months follow-up study, and the MUNE changed from 68 +/- 17 to 154 +/- 25. On the contrary, the patients with ALS had worse clinical manifestation, and the MUNE changed from 64 +/- 6 to 55 +/- 9.

CONCLUSIONS

Immunological factor may be involved in the mechanism of chronic motor axonal neuropathy which has a better prognosis and is difficult to differentiate from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in the earlier stage.