Impact of Social Deprivation on Diagnosis, Management and Outcome of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy at a Tertiary UK Centre

Whether social deprivation may affect diagnosis, management, and outcomes of subjects with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is unknown. We conducted a retrospective study of subjects with CIDP attending University Hospitals Birmingham, UK. Demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment data, post-treatment outcomes and Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019 were collected. Postcodes were categorised in local vs. non-local and travelling distances to the hospital were ascertained. We included 155 consecutive subjects with CIDP. Mean age was 62.2 years (SD: 15.1). Male to female ratio was 1.67:1. One-hundred and eighteen subjects (76.1%) had typical CIDP. Greater pre-treatment disability was independently associated with greater social deprivation (p = 0.031) and longer pre-treatment disease duration (p = 0.001). Neither use of high-cost first-line therapies, nor immunosuppressant usage, were associated with social deprivation. Post-treatment outcomes were not associated with social deprivation. Greater social deprivation was independently associated with younger age (p = 0.002), having a local post-code (p = 0.001) and living closer to the hospital (p < 0.001). Subjects from the two most socially deprived deciles were younger (p = 0.025) and more disabled pre-treatment (p = 0.028) than those from the two least deprived deciles. Significantly fewer tertiary referrals were received for the two most socially deprived deciles compared to the two least deprived deciles (9.9% vs. 31.3%; p = 0.001). Despite a publicly funded healthcare system with universal access, social deprivation independently contributed to greater pre-treatment disability in subjects with CIDP in this UK cohort. Social deprivation did not impact on treatments administered and post-treatment outcomes but may have influenced tertiary referral decisions to our centre.