Acute myelitis in a patient with vogt-koyanagi-harada disease: case report and review of the literature.
BACKGROUND
Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease is characterized by bilateral granulomatous uveitis with neurologic, auditory, and dermatologic manifestations. However, acute myelitis complicating VKH disease has rarely been reported.


METHODS
A 50-year-old Chinese Han woman presented with difficulty walking, numbness on the left side of the body, and difficulty with urination. The patient was diagnosed with incomplete VKH disease and received corticosteroid treatment prior to the neurological presentation. Acute myelitis was diagnosed based on both clinical and spinal-cord MRI findings.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinicians should consider acute myelitis as a rare possible neurological manifestation in VKH disease patients, and early systemic administration of corticosteroids will suppress the acute inflammatory process and prevent recurrences. This report raises the possibility that VKH disease and acute myelitis share common pathogenic pathways.
Department of Neurology and Center for Experimental Medicine, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Shaojuan
S
Gu
Yu
Y
Liu
Zhi
Z
Song
Xiaohong
X
Zi
Hao
H
Deng
Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease; acute myelitis; pathogenesis