Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41255610›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in medicine2025

POEMS syndrome complicated by portal hypertension resembling decompensated cirrhosis: a case report and diagnostic insights.

Hua Zhou, Yangdong Zhou, Lifang Wu, Ling Yan, Jie Wei, Weixian Chen, Xi Huang, Shaocheng Zhang

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Article in Frontiers in medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Hua ZhouDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Yangdong ZhouDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Lifang WuDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Ling YanDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Jie WeiDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Zhuhai People's Hospital (Zhuhai Clinical Medical College of Jinan University), Zhuhai, China.
Weixian ChenDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Xi HuangDepartment of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Shaocheng ZhangDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College (Nuclear Industry 416 Hospital), Chengdu, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

A 39-year-old woman presented with progressive fatigue and abdominal distension over 6 months, accompanied by limb numbness in the last 3 months. She was initially diagnosed with decompensated cirrhosis at another hospital, with ascites and esophagogastric varices. Symptoms partially improved with diuretic therapy. However, 3 months later, she developed peripheral neuropathy characterized by "numbness in hands, lower legs, and feet, with a cotton-wool sensation while walking." Further investigations at our hospital revealed immunoglobulin A (IgA)-λ type M-protein by immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE), elevated vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (145.96 pg/mL), multiple lymphadenopathies, and endocrine abnormalities (hypothyroidism and menstrual irregularities), leading to a diagnosis of Polyneuropathy, Organomegaly, Endocrinopathy, M-protein, Skin changes (POEMS) syndrome. Following chemotherapy with the carfilzomi, pomalidomide, and dexamethasone (KPD) regimen and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT), the patient showed significant improvement in neurological function and systemic symptoms. This case highlights that after excluding common causes of cirrhosis, such as viral hepatitis, autoimmune liver disease, Wilson's disease, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), the patient received repeated symptomatic treatment for cirrhosis. Furthermore, the cirrhotic facies resembled the skin hyperpigmentation of POEMS syndrome, contributing to atypical presentations and diagnostic delay. POEMS syndrome should be suspected in patients with unexplained cirrhosis, ascites, and multisystem damage. Immunofixation electrophoresis for monoclonal protein is crucial for definitive early diagnosis, and VEGF testing also holds certain diagnostic significance.

Indexed as

autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT)cirrhosisM-proteinPOEMS syndromeportal hypertension

Identifiers

PMID41255610
PMCPMC12620467

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