[A clinical analysis of 32 cases of POEMS syndrome].
OBJECTIVE
To compare the clinical features of POEMS (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M protein and skin changes) syndrome patients from Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) with those of patients in previous reports.


METHODS
Thirty-two patients with POEMS syndrome were identified in PUMCH over the last two decades. The clinical features of these patients were compared with those in other large series from Japan, China, and the United States.


RESULTS
The average age at presentation was 45.8 years; 22 were men. All 32 patients had polyneuropathy and decreased knee-jerk reflex. Organomegaly was present in 31 patients. Nine patients underwent lymph node biopsy and 5 of them were proven to have Castleman's disease. Twenty-six patients had at least one endocrine abnormality at time of presentation, not including more commonly prevalent diseases like diabetes mellitus or hypothyroidism. Seventy-two percent (18/25) of the patients had a detectable monoclonal protein with serum immunofixation, but only 16.7% (4/24) had positive results with serum protein electrophoresis. Skin changes were documented in 30 patients. In comparison with other series, we found a higher prevalence of organomegaly and papilloedema. The rates of M protein level, however, were similar.


CONCLUSIONS
Most features of our series are similar to those from previous foreign series. The prevalence of M protein in our study was similar to that in previous foreign series, but was not as low as reported in previous Chinese studies. Immunofixation and immunohistochemical staining of bone marrow biopsies are probably more sensitive in detecting M protein as compared with serum protein electrophoresis.
Zhu
Wei-guo
WG
Department of General Internal Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing 100730, China.
Wang
Yu
Y
Zeng
Xue-jun
XJ
Wang
Qiang
Q
Shen
Ti
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007122:Immunoelectrophoresis; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009194:Myeloma Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D016878:POEMS Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D009194:Myeloma Proteins; C085016:multiple myeloma M-proteins