Acute transverse myelopathy successfully treated with plasmapheresis and prednisone in a patient with primary Sjögren's syndrome.
We report a case of acute transverse myelopathy in a patient with primary Sjögren's syndrome of 3 years duration. Our patient's acute transverse myelopathy developed within 1 week and resulted in complete paraparesis below the mamillary level. Extensive laboratory investigation ruled out viral, bacterial, and fungal etiology, Guillain-Barré syndrome, poliomyelitis, and multiple sclerosis. At diagnosis, treatment was initiated immediately with prednisone (80 mg/day) and plasmapheresis, which was performed as a first-aid measure. Improvement was noted as early as 10 days after the start of therapy. Within 5 1/2 months of the first symptoms of paralysis, the patient walked without difficulty and returned to her normal activities. A causal relationship between plasmapheresis/prednisone therapy and recovery has not been proven but merits further consideration.
D000208:Acute Disease; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010243:Paralysis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D010956:Plasmapheresis; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*
D011241:Prednisone