Severe aplastic anaemia and Grave's disease in a paediatric patient

Severe aplastic anaemia (SAA) is considered to be an autoimmune disorder affecting the haematopoietic cells and most often is idiopathic. An association between SAA and other autoimmune diseases is rare and has been described in adults for eosinophilic fasciitis, thymomas, systemic lupus erythematosus and thyroid disorders. We describe the first paediatric patient with chronic relapsing SAA and Grave's disease. We discuss the difficulty in diagnosis of Grave's disease, the possibility of its manifestation due to withdrawal of immunosuppressants, and issues to consider in the treatment of this disease in the setting of bone marrow failure.