HEMATOLOGICAL-CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH MILIARY TUBERCULOSIS OF THE BONE-MARROW

The peripheral blood and bone marrow findings in 25 patients found to have tuberculous granulomata on bone marrow examination were examined to determine whether specific haematological findings are associated w ith tuberculous infiltration of the bone marrow. All the patients had one abnormality or more on their full blood count. The presence of a p eripheral lymphopaenia was the single factor common to all 25 patients studied. The peripheral lymphopaenia was only associated with bone ma rrow lymphopaenia in 14% of patients. Other findings of note were an a ssociation of peripheral monocytopaenia and absence of giant cells in the granulomata, and decreased iron stores in almost a third of the to tal number of patients. The relevance of the lymphopaenia, monocytopae nia and decreased iron stores are discussed and we propose that the ab sence of a peripheral lymphopaenia makes it very unlikely that there w ill be tuberculous localization in the bone marrow.