Melkersson-Rosenthal Syndrome: A Case Treated With Infliximab

TL;DR

A 40-year-old woman with Melkersson-Rosenthal Syndrome showed improvement after treatment with infliximab when other therapies failed.

Contribution

This case report presents a successful treatment of MRS with infliximab, offering a potential therapeutic option for this rare disorder.

Findings

The patient's symptoms improved progressively after infliximab treatment.

Standardized treatment for MRS remains lacking, with management typically individualized.

Infliximab may be a viable treatment option for MRS when conventional therapies fail.

Abstract

Melkersson-Rosenthal Syndrome (MRS) is a rare disorder of unknown etiology, clinically characterized by a triad of recurrent orofacial swelling with facial palsy and a fissured tongue. Diagnosis is based on physical findings and history, with a biopsy potentially needed for histological confirmation. We present a case of a 40-year-old woman, referred by her stomatologist to our Department of Internal Medicine for granulomatous cheilitis. After excluding other etiologies and in the presence of a compatible biopsy, the diagnosis of MRS was made. There is no standardized treatment for MRS, and most therapeutic decisions are based on isolated case reports and small case series; management is, therefore, individualized according to patient response. In the current reported case, after several different therapeutic regimens had failed, the patient was treated with infliximab and has been improving progressively thereafter.

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