POEMS syndrome: a case report and discussion.

A 46-year-old African American man presented with weakness and numbness in both legs and pain in the left upper chest of 3 weeks’ duration. He noted no change in urinary or bowel habits,but he had anorexia with more than 30 pounds of weight loss over 3 months. He had no fever or night sweats and no cardiac, respiratory, or gastrointestinal symptoms, but he recalled having generalized painless lymphadenopathy for more than 20 years with no recent change. He was intermittently followed by a physician for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, lymphadenopathy, and impotence. The patient had no risk factors for HIV infection.