Hodgkin' s disease and autoimmune hematologic disorders

Abstract

Depletion of platelets and red blood cells may occur in advanced Hodgkin's Disease. Immune thrombocytopenia and autoimmune hemolytic anemia are rarely the cause of these complications. Two such cases, one with a fatal outcome are presented in a retrospective analysis of 191 Hodgkin's Disease patients, treated at the University of Ankara, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, between 1964 and 1997. The histologic subtypes were mixed cellularity in one patient with immune thrombocytopenia and nodular sclerosis in another with autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Awareness of such disorders and management of predisposing conditions is a bonus to the patient being treated for Hodgkin's Disease.