Acute arterial obliteration: a new feature of the POEMS syndrome?

Medicine (Baltimore). 1996 Jul;75(4):226-32. doi: 10.1097/00005792-199607000-00005.

Abstract

The POEMS (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammapathy, and skin changes) syndrome is a rare variant of plasma cell dyscrasia with multisystemic manifestations. We present 4 cases with arterial symptoms typical of acute arterial obliteration (AAO) and review 9 similar cases in the literature. The clinical course of AAO was unusual and particularly severe when affecting the lower limbs; recurrent events required amputations. As demonstrated by angiographic and histologic studies, thrombotic and atheromatous lesions were the main pathologic features of AAO. Atherosclerotic risk factors were absent or moderate in 3 of our cases, and no cause of thrombosis other than the POEMS syndrome was found. A high production of cytokines was found in all cases, with elevated serum levels of interleukin-1 beta (9/9 samples), interleukin-6 (7/9 samples), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (6/9 samples). We suggest that arterial manifestations should be added to the spectrum of manifestations of the POEMS syndrome. Cytokines may mediate the POEMS syndrome-associated AAO, as previously proposed for the other systemic manifestations of this disorder.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Aged
  • Arteriosclerosis Obliterans / etiology*
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunoradiometric Assay
  • Interleukin-1 / blood
  • Interleukin-6 / blood
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • POEMS Syndrome / blood
  • POEMS Syndrome / complications*
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / metabolism

Substances

  • Interleukin-1
  • Interleukin-6
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha