TRANSIENT ERYTHROBLASTOPENIA OF CHILDHOOD IN A YOUNG BOY WITH CHRONICBENIGN NEUTROPENIA

A 21 months old boy was hospitalized with a severe anemia of 3,5 g/dl and neutropenia (0.69 x 10(9)/l neutrophils) with normal thrombocyte v alues. The reticulocyte count was 1parts per thousand. The boy was adm itted to our hospital with a suspected diagnosis of acute lymphoblasti c leukemia or severe aplastic anemia. The patient recovered without an y specific treatment except for two transfusions of packed red cells. The reticulocyte count rose to 30parts per thousand one week later and the hemoglobin concentration normalized. The diagnosis of transient e rythroblastopenia of childhood (TEC) was made. The low granulocyte cou nts in peripheral blood persisted. Severe bacterial infections in the history of this patient were not seen. The adrenalin test led to a nor malization of absolute granulocyte count after 60 minutes. The neutrop enia persits in this patient. Therefore we made the diagnosis of chron ic benign neutropenia. To our knowledge it is the first described case of TEC in a patient with chronic benign neutropenia.