Fatigue, numbness, and tingling in the arms or legs could mean chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP)
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, or CIDP, is a rare and progressive autoimmune disease that affects the nerves in the arms and legs.1 In people with CIDP, the protective covering of the peripheral nerves called myelin is damaged by the body's own immune system.2,3 Damage to nerves and their myelin covering means that messages from the brain to various parts of the body get disrupted, and this can cause weakness and gradual loss of sensations and reflexes. Over time, this damage may lead to disability in the arms and legs.4
While there is no known cure for CIDP, it can be treated and symptoms may be reversed if caught early enough. It is critical to talk to a doctor immediately because permanent nerve damage cannot be reversed.2,5
NORMAL NERVES
send messages to the brain and are protected by myelin sheaths4
DAMAGED NERVES
have trouble sending messages to the brain4
