Isolated trigeminal sensory neuropathy: early manifestation of mixed connective tissue disease.

A young woman with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) had an isolated trigeminal sensory neuropathy as an early manifestation of the disease. Raynaud phenomenon occurred almost synchronously with the onset of trigeminal neuropathy and was followed by myositis, diffuse hand swelling, synovitis, and increased ribonucleoprotein antibody. Mixed connective tissue disease has overlapping features of systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, and polymyositis, and is differentiated from them by high-titer antibody to ribonucleoprotein.