POEMS Syndrome

Overview

POEMS syndrome is a rare disorder of the blood that affects many of your body systems and causes damage to your nerves. POEMS syndrome may occur because of the growth of certain bone marrow plasma cells (clonal plasma cells) that produce an abnormal amount of blood proteins, which damage body organs.

POEMS is an acronym for the syndrome's most common signs and symptoms.

• Polyneuropathy: Nerve damage causing numbness, tingling and weakness of the hands and feet.
• Organomegaly: Organ enlargement of liver, lymph nodes or spleen.
• Endocrinopathy: Abnormal hormone levels.
• Monoclonal protein: A collection of abnormal blood proteins (immunoglobulins) made from bone marrow cells called plasma cells; also called monoclonal immunoglobulin.
• Skin changes: Increased skin pigment, increased body hair, thickening of the skin and whitening of the nails.

Other features may also be present in POEMS syndrome, such as high platelet counts and blood clots.

Why choose Mayo Clinic for POEMS syndrome

• Expertise and experience. POEMS syndrome is rare and diagnosis can be difficult. Mayo Clinic doctors see many people with this disease each year and have been treating the disease for more than 35 years.
• Multispecialty team. Mayo Clinic has a designated group of specialists, the myeloma treatment group, which focuses on treating diseases such as POEMS syndrome. Working together, Mayo Clinic specialists develop a treatment plan based on your specific needs.
• Excellent transplant care. In some cases, people with POEMS syndrome require a peripheral blood stem cell transplant. Mayo Clinic transplant centers are leaders in exploring the use of transplants to treat POEMS syndrome, with one of the largest and most experienced transplant practices in the United States.
• Newest research. Mayo Clinic has been doing extensive research on POEMS syndrome for many years to help improve diagnosis and treatment options.

Mayo Clinic: Answers you can trust

At Mayo Clinic, we assemble a team of specialists who take the time to listen and thoroughly understand your health issues and concerns. We tailor the care you receive to your personal health care needs. You can trust our specialists to collaborate and offer you the best possible outcomes, safety and service.

Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical institution that reinvests all earnings into improving medical practice, research and education. We're constantly involved in innovation and medical research, finding solutions to improve your care and quality of life. Your doctor or someone on your medical team is likely involved in research related to your condition.

Our patients tell us that the quality of their interactions, our attention to detail and the efficiency of their visits mean health care — and trusted answers — like they've never experienced.

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