A PATIENT WITH WERNERS-SYNDROME AND ERYTHROLEUKEMIA - JUST COINCIDENCE

Werner's syndrome is a rare clinical entity and approximately 150 case s have been reported in the medical literature. Werner's syndrome, inh erited by autosomal recessive transmission, is characterized primarily by a short stature, premature greying and balding, trophic ulceration of the legs, diabetes mellitus and hypogonadism. These features combi ne to present a picture of adult progeria. In this brief report we des cribe a 51-year-old Bedouin male with Werner's syndrome, diagnosed as erythroleukemia (AML-6), and presenting as acute pancytopenia. The pat ient died two months after diagnosis. This is a rare case of erythrole ukemia in a patient with Werner's syndrome. We survey current knowledg e of the cytogenetic pathogenesis of Werner's syndrome and erythroleuk emia, and attempt to explain the possible link between these two rare syndromes.