Acute Transverse Myelitis in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated with Intravenous Immunoglobulin / 대한내과학회지

ABSTRACT

Acute transverse myelitis (ATM) is a heterogeneous syndrome characterized by acute spinal cord dysfunction resulting in paresis and sensory and autonomic impairment below the level of the lesion. The etiology of ATM includes parainfectious, paraneoplastic, drug-induced, systemic autoimmune disorders, and acquired demyelinating diseases. ATM is very rare in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A 79-year-old woman with RA, a recurring peptic ulcer, and congestive heart failure presented with acute weakness of both upper and lower extremities. She was diagnosed with ATM based on the results of laboratory and radiological tests. ATM is usually treated with high-dose glucocorticoid. However, we treated her with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) considering the adverse events of high-dose glucocorticoid, and she improved. We report a case of ATM in a patient with RA successfully treated with IVIG.