Approximately 70% of people with POEMS experience improper function of the ovaries or testes, a condition known as primary gonadal failure. The specific symptoms present will vary from case to case. The acronym POEMS highlights the most significant features of this syndrome. At one point I was tested to see if POEMS was a possibility. “POEMS” is an acronym for the five most common symptoms of this syndrome: P – …   As many as 50% of POEMS patients will develop diabetes. P=Polyneuropathy. Initial treatments were ineffective. Most doctors have never even heard of POEMS syndrome, much less treated it. In many cases, the first apparent symptom of POEMS syndrome is disease affecting many nerves (polyneuropathy). The patient was referred to MD Anderson, where he was finally given the diagnosis of POEMS. POEMS syndrome is characterized by the presence of a monoclonal plasma cell disorder, peripheral neuropathy, and one or more of the following: osteosclerotic myeloma, Castleman disease (angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia), elevated serum vascular endothelial growth factor, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, edema, typical skin changes, and papilledema. "We just don't think we're good enough at killing these plasma cells. POEMS syndrome affects multiple organ systems of the body. His last chance was a stem-cell transplant. POEMS stands for Polyneuropathy, Organomegaly, Endocrinopathy, Monoclonal gammopathy, Skin changes. The authors report an interesting case of a 43-year-old man with a history of POEMS (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy and skin changes) syndrome with chronic bilateral optic disc edema presenting with sudden painless vision … POEMS syndrome specialist gave me hope — and saved my life. "There are a lot of POEMS patients who do amazingly well for decades, but we don't promise or suggest what we're doing is curative," Dr. Dispenzieri says. POEMS syndrome is an extremely rare blood disorder that affects several body systems. To add your experiences, send your answers to the questions to Mike, at captm001@icloud.com. Its name is a combination of the names of each system it affects and the symptoms patients may experience: polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal protein, and skin abnormalities. POEMS syndrome is a rare multisystem disorder caused by the improper growth of bone marrow cells, resulting in an abnormal accumulation of proteins (immunoglobulin) in tissues and organs. ARTICLES 'Finding answers at Mayo Clinic: a reporter's tale'. And some neurologists wouldn’t recognize the disease if they saw it. It is an exceedingly rare systemic disorder, a malignant-like condition as I understand, of which CIDP-like symptoms are one of many. 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