Polyneuritis in Essential Cryoglobulinemia: a Clinical, Immunoelectrophoretic and Electromyographic Study with Report of a Case

Abstract

Described is a case of peripheral neuropathy secondary to essential cryoglobulinemia. This complication of the disease is exceptional. One month prior to admission, a 28-year-old woman complained of paresthesias in the distal parts on her limbs; this was followed by impairment of sensation, with difficulties in standing and walking. Finally, there was an almost total loss of motion of the fingers of both hands. The clinical picture and laboratory studies demonstrated a damage of the nerve trunks, of equal intensity in the arms and the left leg. In the right leg it was less marked. The cryoprecipitate was composed of IgG and IgM. The possible mechanisms of the immunological reactions, and the pathogenesis of the neurological manifestations are discussed.