CIDP/Peripheral Neuropathy
72-year-old Caucasian male with history of stage 4 Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuritis (CIDP), Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) with stent placement and bipolar disorder seeks stem cell therapy with goals to (1) help improve his CIDP which has been progressively worsening over the past few years despite weekly IVIG, (2) prevent dialysis if possible, and (3) improve overall health.
Patient was diagnosed with CKD diagnosis 17 years ago due to drug interaction (Lithium and Aleve), and a few years later developed CIDP, with progressively worsening peripheral neuropathy in lower extremities, to the point of persistent numbness in his feet, requiring him to use a cane to walk. His kidney function has been stable, with Creatinine maintaining at 2.4-2.6 range.
Patient’s prior treatments for CIDP included IVIG infusions, starting 5 years ago, but the frequency of the treatment was gradually increased from once every 5-6 months, to weekly infusions in the past 2 years.
Despite having fallen 5 times in the last year due to CIDP bilateral foot numbness, he said that“one thing that keeps me happy is walking outside with my walking sticks” – which he was still able to do, but only for about 15-40 min a day, a few days a week, at a slow pace.
Patient was recommended to receive three stem cell infusions in total, spaced 1-2 months apart. Patient did not notice any improvement in his CIDP symptoms after his 1st stem cell infusion (4cc CharaCore & 2cc CharaExo).
3 months after his 1st stem cell infusion, he received his 2nd infusion (4cc CharaCore & 2cc CharaExo). At 3-week follow-up, he reported of continued stable kidney function, with no further deterioration of his stage 4 CKD. As for his CIDP, he did notice mild improvement in his neuropathy symptoms of his feet, and also noted moderately improved energy levels, and faster recovery from his weekly IVIG treatments.
At 2-month follow-up After his 2nd stem cell therapy session, patient’s CIDP symptoms in lower extremities improved enough for him to walk WITHOUT a cane for the FIRST time in 5 years.
3 months after his 2nd stem cell treatment, patient came in for his 3rd infusion (4cc CharaCore & 2cc CharaExo). At 3-week follow-up after the 3rd treatment, he continued to have stable kidney function, and his CIDP showed drastic improvement, with reduction in lower extremity neuropathy (which he noticed within a few days after the 3rd stem cell treatment), and continued to improve daily thereafter. 2 weeks after the 3rd stem cell treatment, he was able to walk without having to plop his feet down from half a foot above ground on each step as he had to do previously.
At the time of the report (1 month after his 3rd stem cell treatment), patient continued to walk without a cane, and was able to do extended walks outdoors – including uphill paths – for the first time in years. Additionally, for the first time in his CIDP neurology appointments, he was able to feel the tuning fork on his neuro-exam.
Patient also had drastic improvement in the CIDP symptoms of his hands, which had originally limited his ability to write/type for 6 months prior to the initiation of his 1st stem cell treatment, which is devastating since patient is a writer in profession. It is important to note, that even though patient’s peripheral neuropathy symptoms in hands showed little to no improvement following the his 1st and 2nd stem cell infusions, within 2 weeks after the 3rd stem cell infusion, he was able to start writing/typing again – and pt has been able to write for 6-9 hours per day.