Progressive multifocal leucoencephalopathy in Hodgkin's disease

A case of progressive multifocal leucoencephalopathy in a 43-year-old man with Hodgkin's disease is presented. 17 similar cases from the literature are reviewed. Clinical implications of sex-ratio, age-distribution, diagnostic procedures and clinical course are discussed. Special attention is paid to the distribution of cases correlated to the lapse of time between diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease and symptoms of progressive multifocal leucoencephalopathy, indicating progressive multifocal leucoencephalopathy to be either a dormant infection, activated by Hodgkin's disease, or a haphazard complication. Both possibilities could be due to an impaired cell-mediated immune response.