[Vasculitis associated with proliferation of large granular lymphocytes]

We report a patient with the syndrome of large granular lymphocytes in whom the initial clinical features were polyarthritis, hepatosplenomegaly and neutropenia. Relative lymphocytosis was also demonstrated at the expense of a subpopulation with morphology and surface markers characteristic of large granular lymphocytes (CD2+, CD8+, CD16+ and HNK-1+). After 6 months of asymptomatic course, without changes in clinical or laboratory data, the patient died from an acute abdomen with mesenteric ischemia of different likely causes as suggested by necropsy data (multivisceral diffuse infiltrate by large granular lymphocytes, systemic vasculitis and Clostridium sepsis). The association between this syndrome and systemic vasculitis is discussed.