Fatal cold anti-i autoimmune haemolytic anaemia complicating hairy cell leukaemia

Hairy cell leukaemia (HCL) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder associate d with pancytopenia, splenomegaly and the presence of typical hairy B lymph ocytes in the bone marrow and/or peripheral blood. The most significant com plication relates to opportunistic infections that arise as a consequence o f neutropenia and monocytopenia. HCL is occasionally associated with system ic autoimmune disorders including polyarteritis nodosa and rheumatoid disea se. Secondary autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) appears to be rare. Mie report on two cases of HCL complicated by fatal cold anti-i AIHA, Fulminant haemolysis causing death is rare in cold AIHA and only a few individual ca ses have been reported, none having anti-i specificity.