Peripheral small fiber dysfunction and neuropathic pain in patients with Morvan syndrome

Abstract

Morvan syndrome (MoS) is an autoimmune-mediated syndrome that is frequently associated with malignant thymoma and autoantibodies targeting contactin associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2-Abs). Neuropathic pain is a frequent clinical feature in MoS—encountered in 62% of patients1—but the pain mechanisms are unknown. We studied 4 patients with MoS who had neuropathic pain and investigated whether this pain could be due to a selective involvement of small nerve fibers. Written consent was obtained from all patients, and the study was approved by the institutional review board of the University Claude Bernard Lyon 1.