A case of atopic myelitis

: A 35-year old woman was admitted to our hospital because of slowly increased numbness of lower truncus and the legs for 10 months. She showed atopic dermatitis on her nape and bilateral popliteal fossa, and signs and symptoms of anorexia nervosa, such as asitia, emaciation, and menopause. Neurologic examination revealed Lhermitte's sign, muscle weakness of bilateral hands, deep and superficial sensory disturbance below the Th 4 level of thoracic spinal cord, and increased tendon reflexes of four limbs. Laboratory data showed hyperIgEemia and high titer of mite antigen specific IgE in sera. Cervical MRI demonstrated abnormal intensity area located at the C6 to C7 segments (i.e. low intensity in T1 weighted images and high in T2). She also showed hypercalcemia and swelling of the parathyroid gland, and had been diagnosed primary hyperparathyroidism by scintigram of the parathyroid gland. We concluded that this case is thought to be atopic myelitis, which has been recently reported as acute myelitis associated with hyperIgEemia and atopic dermatitis proposed by Kira et al. (1997). The patient also had anorexia nervosa and primary hyperparathyroidism.