[A case of atopic myelitis in the area other than Kyushu Island]

A case of acute myelitis associated with atopic dermatitis, hyperIgEemia and mite antigen specific IgE was reported. A 22-year old woman with a history of atopic dermatitis since her childhood began to have numbness in her legs, which extended upward to her upper part of chest in four days. Neurological examination revealed Lhermitte's sign, moderate disturbance of superficial and deep sensation below the Th4 level, and sensory ataxia. She also showed exaggerated deep tendon reflexes in the upper extremities and urinary difficulty. MRI studies revealed an intramedullary T1-low, T2-high lesions without Gd-DTPA contrast enhancement in the posterior part of the cervical spinal cord at C3 level. The laboratory examination revealed normal CSF, and the elevated level of serum IgE and mite-antigen-specific IgE in sera. We conclude that this case is thought to be atopic myelitis, which was reported as acute myelitis associated with hyperIgEemia and atopic dermatitis proposed by Kira et al. This is the first report of a case outside of Kyushu area in Japan.