Premium
N‐hexane exposure: a cause of small fiber neuropathy
Author(s) -
GuimarãesCosta Raquel,
Schoindre Yoland,
Metlaine Arnaud,
Lefaucheur JeanPascal,
Camdessanché JeanPhilippe,
Maisonobe Thierry,
Léger JeanMarc
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of the peripheral nervous system
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1529-8027
pISSN - 1085-9489
DOI - 10.1111/jns.12261
Subject(s) - medicine , discontinuation , etiology , neuropathic pain , dermatology , allodynia , nociception , surgery , anesthesia , hyperalgesia , receptor
A 59‐year‐old woman presented with progressive paresthesias of all of her limbs for 4 years, associated with neuropathic pain, tingling in the tongue and allodynia, consistent with small fiber neuropathy (SFN). Several systemic symptoms and signs were found on clinical examination and laboratory work‐up. Neurological investigations including neurophysiologic test and skin biopsy supported the diagnosis of SFN. Chronic exposure to N‐hexane was then disclosed and suspected to be the cause of the disease. Following the discontinuation of chronic N‐hexane exposure, the patient had a progressive improvement of all signs and symptoms, reinforcing the correlation between exposure to N‐hexane, and development of SFN. Exposure to N‐hexane may be considered as a novel reversible cause of SFN, which underlines the need to look for toxic etiologies in the diagnosis of SFN.