HYPOCOMPLEMENTEMIA AND HEMATOLOGICAL ABNORMALITIES IN IMMUNOBLASTIC LYMPHADENOPATHY AND IMMUNOBLASTIC LYMPHADENOPATHY-LIKE T-CELL LYMPHOMA

Serum complement levels and hematological data were evaluated in five patients with immunoblastic lymphadenopathy (IBL) and four with IBL-li ke T cell lymphoma (IBL-T). Anemia with Hb values below 10.0 g/dl was seen in four patients. A direct Coombs test was positive in five patie nts and the bone marrow of two of these showed features of pure red ce ll aplasia. Seven patients were thrombocytopenic with platelet counts below 100 x 10(9)/1. Six of the seven patients had splenomegaly. Plate let-associated IgG was elevated in all three thrombocytopenic patients examined. Whole complement activity (CH50) was reduced in eight patie nts (89%) at presentation and subsequently normalized in five who were treated either with prednisolone (two patients with IBL) or with mult idrug combination chemotherapy (three with IBL-T). One patient achieve d complete remission and four partial remission. Remission was accompa nied by normalization of hematological abnormalities and elevation of complement activity to the normal range in all cases. These results su ggested that complement-mediated mechanisms are responsible, at least in part, for some of the hematological abnormalities observed in IBL a nd IBL-T and that hypocomplementemia is a common abnormality with sign ificance as a laboratory marker for the disease activity.