Thalidomide Neuropathy

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
In their study of the use of thalidomide in the treatment of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), Vogelsang et al. (April 16 issue)1 minimize the seriousness of thalidomide neuropathy. Follow-up studies of patients who took thalidomide as a sedative have shown that, even several years after the drug had been stopped, there was no recovery of sensation in 50 percent of cases.2 The total amount of drug ingested determines the severity of the neuropathy.2 Therefore, any neuropathy that occurs in patients being treated for GVHD is likely to be very severe, since the daily dose of 800 to 1600 mg is 5 to 10 times greater than the sedative dose.