Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis in autoimmune hemolytic anemia

A 16-year-old female with chronic autoimmune hemolytic anemia is presented. She was diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis by clinical fi ndings and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the condition occurred aft er a systemic infection with Cryptococcus neoformans. Intravenous immunoglo bulin therapy remarkably improved the patient's neurologic deficit and reso lved abnormalities evidenced on MRI, To our knowledge, this report is the f irst of a pediatric patient with autoimmune hemolytic anemia complicated by acute disseminated encephalomyelitis that developed after an apparently su ccessful treatment of cryptococcal meningitis. (C) 2001 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.