Neurological manifestations on collagenoses

Collagen diseases are precipitated by very different etiologic factors, but have a common pathogenic mechanism--autoimmune, which evolves chronically and progressively involving new territories. The initial and main pathologic lesions are vascular arterial ischemic (and, according to the prevalently involved territory, the type of disease results: PAN--medium-sized and small arterioles; scleroderma--small arterioles and capillaries), and the secondary ones are the result of ischemia with plurivisceral involvement. Neurological dysfunctions were detected in about 50% of collagen diseases diagnosed during a 25 year interval in the IIIrd Medical Clinic of Iasi. The neurological manifestations were inaugural in 10% (in SLE) to 46.4% (in PAN) of the cases, the remainder occurring during the course of collagenosis, more commonly at 3-5 years and before death. Peripheral nervous system involvement (mainly polyneuritis) has prevailed, the central nervous system involvement being more rare and often fatal. Long-term corticosteroid therapy was followed by full or partial remission of peripheral nervous dysfunctions, but had transient effects or was ineffective on the central nervous ones.