Acute and chronic neuropathies

Peripheral nerve disorders are common and often treatable. The ‘default’ presentation of a polyneuropathy is a chronic, length- dependent, sensorimotor axonopathy. Recognizing deviations from this default, informed by the clinical features and investigations, can help identify the cause of a neuropathy in most cases. For inflamma- tory causes, such as GuillaineBarre syndrome and chronic inflamma- tory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, there are effective immunomodulatory treatments. For other neuropathies, management consists of supportive care and treatment of the underlying cause, to prevent or limit progression.