[A case report of bilateral trigeminal sensory neuropathy as one of the initial manifestation of systemic scleroderma (the difficulties of early diagnosis of the primary disease)].

The article describes the case of a patient with bilateral trigeminal sensory neuropathy (TSN), as a possible neurological manifestation of systemic scleroderma (SS). In this patient, intense non-paroxysmal facial pain caused by TSN, subjectively dominated over other manifestations of SS, including Raynaud's syndrome, for at least 1.5 years, thus hampering the diagnosis of the primary disease. In addition to pain, which was not relieved by analgesic medication, TSN was manifested by marked sensory deficit on the face (hypoesthesia / anesthesia) and bilateral sensory deficits in the oral cavity, including the anterior third of the tongue. TSN was also combined with disorders of taste perception. The assumption of rheumatic origin of TSN occurred during a primary neurological examination: a standard examination revealed generalized sensory polyneuropathy with bilateral involvement of the trigeminal nerve; the additional study identified no neurological signs of rheumatic diseases, including Raynaud's phenomenon. SS met all the criteria for the diagnosis (2013), high titers of nuclear ribonucleoprotein were determined as well. Thus, TSN as early and subjectively dominant manifestation of SS can complicate the diagnosis of primary rheumatic diseases. Therefore, in cases of distal sensory polyneuropathy with bilateral involvement of the trigeminal nerve, it is necessary to conduct an additional survey to identify the signs of possible rheumatic diseases: signs of vascular lesion (Raynaud's syndrome), lesions of skin, joints and muscles.