UNDIAGNOSED ADULT T-CELL LEUKEMIA LYMPHOMA IN CENTRAL BROOKLYN, NY/

We present a case, identified by surveillance for adult T-cell leukemi a/lymphoma (ATL), who had initial symptoms not specifically related to ATL, and who would not have been identified as having ATL otherwise. A 51-year-old Trinidadian black woman was hospitalized for abdominal p ain, nausea, and vomiting. Hematology and clinical chemistry revealed leukocytosis (19,600/mm(3)), an elevated lymphocyte percent (63%), and hypercalcemia (19.4 mg/dl). The patient was serologically confirmed w ith HTLV-I-associated ATL. Lymphoma was diagnosed at autopsy. This cas e is representative of ATL, which along with HTLV-I infection, may be emerging public health problems in urban communities of the northeast and southeast United States.