POEMs vs. CIDP

Published: Dec. 21, 2016, 6 p.m.

POEMS, which is an acronym for polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal plasma cell disorder and skin changes, is a rare disorder that often looks like CIDP when encountered in the neuromuscular or neurology clinic. Dr. Ted Burns interviews Drs. Michelle Maurermann and P. James B. Dyck about three articles about the topic. The articles are: Thrombocytosis distinguishes POEMS syndrome from chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (Muscle Nerve. 2015 Oct;52:658-9), Nerve pathologic features differentiate POEMS syndrome from CIDP (Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2016 Oct 31;4:116.), and Uniform demyelination and more severe axonal loss distinguish POEMS syndrome from CIDP (J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2012 May;83:480-6).