A case of POEMS syndrome comprising of a complicated diagnostic procedure: Case report

This article presents the case of a patient with recurrent chronic diarrhea and cachexia who was misdiagnosed, followed by a literature review to summarize the reasons for misdiagnosis of POEMS syndrome and the treatment strategies.

The diagnosis and treatment of this patient suggest that with the improvement of M-protein detection levels, the diagnosis of patients with low M-protein levels, such as those with POEMS syndrome, has been greatly aided.

POEMS syndrome requires polyneuropathy and monoclonal plasma cell proliferation as mandatory diagnostic criteria. Therefore, patients presenting with polyneuropathy should routinely undergo M-protein testing and consider the possibility of POEMS syndrome.

The patient, in this case, was treated primarily with relatively conservative immunomodulatory agents.

During follow-up after treatment, the patient's diarrhea and malnutrition showed significant improvement.

POEMS syndrome has low clinical specificity and a high rate of misdiagnosis. However, once a definitive diagnosis is made, the treatment outcome is favorable.