Sensory and autonomic polyneuropathy associated with hypergammaglobulinemia.

Sensory and autonomic polyneuropathy is a rare disease characterized by a sensory nerve disorder and postganglionic autonomic dysfunction. The etiology of this disease is unknown. We described a 51-year-old woman who had a chronic sensory dominant polyneuropathy and dysautonomia associated with hypergammaglobulinemia. In the previous reports of sensory and autonomic polyneuropathy, not much attention was given to coexisting hypergammaglobulinemia. By reviewing the literatures, hypergammaglobulinemia was frequently present in these case reports. This fact leads us to consider that an immunological mechanism may be playing a role in the pathogenesis of this disorder.