The Evaluation of Polyneuropathies

olyneuropathy has an estimated prevalence of 2%-3% in the general population and a prevalence as high as 8% in people over the age of 55 years. 1 Roughly one-third of polyneuropathies will have a genetic cause, one-third an acquired etiology, and onethird will be idiopathic, despite appropriate diagnostic evaluation. 2 There are over 100 known acquired and inherited disorders that may cause polyneuropathy, a fact that presents challenges and can contribute to uncertainty about the scope, direction, and level of aggressiveness of any evaluation. This sometimes leads to a one-size-fits-all diagnostic strategy, a strategy that is unfocused, inefficient, and costly, and sometimes places the patient at unnecessary risk of a procedure-related complication (e.g., nerve biopsy).