Cellular infiltrates in skin and sural nerve of patients with polyneuropathies.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic usefulness of skin punch biopsies with emphasis on visualization and quantification of T-cells and macrophages in patients with polyneuropathies.

Methods: We quantified inflammatory cells in skin samples (lower leg, upper thigh) in 187 patients and compared data with counts in their sural nerve biopsies and with skin biopsies from 32 healthy volunteers.

Results: Vessel-bound T-cells and macrophages were increased in proximal and distal skin samples of neuropathy patients compared with controls (P < 0.

Increased gene expression of growth associated protein-43 in skin of patients with early-stage peripheral neuropathies.

Growth associated protein-43 (GAP-43) is one of the neural proteins associated with nerve injury that is upregulated after nerve injury. To investigate whether GAP-43 quantification in skin biopsies would differentiate subtypes of peripheral neuropathies, we analyzed GAP-43 expression in skin from the lateral thigh and the distal leg. We prospectively enrolled 130 patients with peripheral neuropathies and compared data with healthy controls.