POEMS syndrome is a rare blood disorder that damages your nerves and organs. The condition gets its name from its most common signs and symptoms:
- Polyneuropathy, nerve damage that affects peripheral nerves throughout your body
- Organomegaly, which is when some of your organs are larger than usual
- Endocrinopathy, when your endocrine system doesn’t release normal amounts of hormones
- Monoclonal protein or M-protein, which refers to high M-protein levels in your blood
- Skin changes
POEMS syndrome is a challenging condition. Many other health conditions may cause similar symptoms. People with this condition often go through rounds of tests over several months before healthcare providers can pinpoint POEMS syndrome.
This condition is also called osteosclerotic myeloma, Crow-Fukase syndrome, PEP syndrome and Takatsuki syndrome.
