Introducing electronic monitoring of disease activity in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (EMDA CIDP): trial protocol of a proof of concept study

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is one of the most common immune neuropathies leading to severe impairments in daily life. Current treatment options include intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG), which are administered at intervals of 4–12 weeks. Determination of individual treatment intervals is challenging since existing clinical scores lack sensitivity to objectify small, partially fluctuating deficits in patients. End-of-dose phenomena described by patients, manifested by increased fatigue and worsening of (motor) symptoms, are currently difficult to detect. From a medical and socio-economic point of view, it is necessary to identify and validate new, more sensitive outcome measures for accurate mapping of disease progression and, thus, for interval finding. Digital health technologies such as wearables may be particularly useful for this purpose, as they record real-life data and consequently, in contrast to classic clinical 'snapshots’, can continuously depict the disease course.

In this prospective, observational, non-interventional, single-center, investigator-initiated study, CIDP patients treated with IVIG will be continuously monitored over a period of 6 months. Clinical scores and blood analyses will be assessed and collected during three visits (V1, V2, V3). Additionally, activity, sleep, and cardiac parameters will be recorded over the entire period using a wearable device. Further, patients' subjective disease development and quality of life will be recorded at various visits (read-outs). The usability of the smartwatch will be assessed at the end of the study.

The study aims to evaluate different digital measurements obtained with the smartwatch and blood-based analyses for monitoring disease activity and progress in CIDP patients. In conjunction, both means of monitoring might offer detailed insights into behavioral and biological patterns associated with treatment-related fluctuations such as end-of-dose phenomena.

The study protocol was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov. Identifier: NCT05723848. Initially, the protocol was submitted prospectively on January 10, 2023. The trial was publicly released after formal improvements on February 13, 2023, after first patients were included according to the original protocol.