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Rare disease
CASE REPORT
POEMS syndrome: a rare cause of exudative ascites and chronic peripheral neuropathy
  1. Omar Al-Mayoof1,
  2. Hana AL Sughaiyer2,
  3. Wuroud Abuomar3,
  4. Maria Khan4
  1. 1 Infectious Disease Unit, Rashid Hospital, Dubai, UAE
  2. 2 Internal Medicine Department, Rashid Hospital, Dubai, UAE
  3. 3 Internal Medicine Department, Rashid Hospital, Dubai, UAE
  4. 4 Neurology Department, Rashid Hospital, Dubai, UAE
  1. Correspondence to Hana AL Sughaiyer, hana.zuhair{at}gmail.com

Summary

POEMS syndrome (Peripheral neuropathy, Organomegaly, Endocrinopathy, M protein, Skin changes) is a rare plasma cell disorder with multisystem involvement

A 40-year-old man with a chronic history of unexplained peripheral neuropathy , presented with exudative ascites.He was found to have an incidental osteolytic lesion of the sacrum proven to be a plasmacytoma. Immunoelectrophoresis for monoclonal protein was negative.

In addition, the patient was found to have hepatosplenomegaly, erectile dysfunction, hyperprolactinaemia and hypothyroidism.

The patient, was given steroid along with lenalidomide, and showed a good clinical response.

  • thyroid disease
  • haematology (incl blood transfusion)
  • peripheral nerve disease

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2016-219022

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors All the authors were involved in patient care and management and contributed to writing the case report. OFAA-M: diagnostic workup, investigation and discussing the plan, and writing about the investigation part. HALS: diagnostic blood and radiological investigations, acquisition and interpretation of the collected relevant patient's data and manuscript submission. WAO: daily review of the patient in the round and writing the history and examination part of the case report. MKJ: an opinion regarding the lower limb weakness, the nerve conduction study and writing the discussion part of the case.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent Obtained.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.