Neuropathy in Wolfram syndrome

Abstract

Wolfram syndrome (WFS) is a degenerative disease with neurological and endocrine disorders, characterized by the association of juvenile diabetes mellitus and bilateral optic atrophy. A polyneuropathy was exceptionally described but its characteristics are not well-established. In addition to our observation, we searched all case reports of patients with WFS in the medical literature (more than 600), and selected patients who underwent an EMG: twenty-one patients underwent an EMG, which was considered as abnormal in only 8 cases. The common profile was axonal sensory-motor polyneuropathy, sometimes with marked decrease of motor conduction velocities. This neuropathy could be due to diabetes mellitus, even though microangiopathic and macroangiopathic complications are rare in WFS. Another origin for this neuropathy could be a degenerative process in relationship with WFS.