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POEMS syndrome is a rare paraneoplastic disorder associated with plasma cell dyscrasia. The acronym stands for coexisting polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy and skin changes. Other relevant features of the syndrome are papilledema, sclerotic bone lesions, Castleman’s disease, thrombocytosis, weight loss and increased vascular endothelial growth factor levels. The diagnostic criteria for POEMS are as follows: major criteria: polyneuropathy, monoclonal plasma cell dyscrasia; minor criteria: sclerotic bone lesions, Castleman’s disease, organomegaly, endocrinopathies, edemas, skin changes, papilledema. To make a diagnosis, 2 major criteria and 1 minor criterion are required. We present a patient with pseudoscleroderma, polyneuropathy, hypothyroidism, monoclonal gammopathy, edemas and weight loss, who was diagnosed with POEMS syndrome as a result of interdisciplinary cooperation.

Reactive arthritis is an aseptic inflammation of synovium, tendons and fasciae triggered by an immunological reaction to a distant-site infection. It is usually asymmetric. It develops about 4 weeks after a prior infection of the genitourinary system (most often caused by Chlamydia trachomatis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae) or the gastrointestinal tract (most often: Shigella enteritidis, Salmonella typhimurium or Salmonella enteritidis, Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia enterocolitica). A typical triad of symptoms includes: arthritis, conjunctivitis, and urethritis. Men aged 20-50 are most commonly affected. A considerable percentage of patients with reactive arthritis has the HLA-B27 antigen. Presence of the antigen heralds a more severe course of the disease and occurrence of articular complications. The disease may have a neoplastic course, sometimes it subsides without chronic consequences, and in some cases it evolves into other spondyloarthropathies.