PRIMARY SCLEROSING CHOLANGITIS AND HODGKINS-DISEASE

Three patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis and Hodgkin's disea se, a previously unrecognized association, are reported. All three pat ients were men, and one patient had Crohn's disease of the colon. Prim ary sclerosing cholangitis was diagnosed 2, 11 and 17 yr before diagno sis of Hodgkin's disease in the three patients, and all three had adva nced biliary cirrhosis prompting referral for liver transplantation. T he symptoms of Hodgkin's disease were often masked by similar manifest ations of primary sclerosing cholangitis, particularly symptoms of rec urrent biliary sepsis. Hodgkin's disease is another disorder that may occur in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis, particularly in the setting of advanced disease, and may be masked by the underlying hepatobiliary disease.