The POEMS syndrome: report of six cases

We report six patients affected by POEMS syndrome (Polyneuropathy, Organomegaly, Endocrinopathy, Monoclonal gammopathy, and Skin changes), a peculiar multiorgan disease frequently associated with osteosclerotic myeloma or other plasma cell disorders. Sensorimotor polyneuropathy was associated with multisystem involvement in all of the patients, with osteosclerotic myeloma in 2 cases, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance in 2 cases and Castleman's disease in the final two. In all of the patients, sural nerve biopsy findings were consistent with a mixed, axonal and demyelinating neuropathy. Increased levels of Interleukin-6 were found in two cases, but the pathogenesis of the disease is far from established.