[Subacute sensory neuropathies]

A 52 year old woman, previously healthy apart from a mild chronic persisting hepatitis, developed a sensory ataxia one week after an acute febrile illness. Clinically she had a severe impairment of proprioception and kinesthesia in the arms. Neurophysiological examinations demonstrated absent sensory potentials in the hands. No malignancy was found, and the patient had no sicca symptoms. Some tests for Sjögren's syndrome were positive, but not conclusive. A slight improvement followed after the acute phase. The diagnosis is compatible with an idiopathic subacute sensory neuronopathy.