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[Tuberculosis, mycobacterium infection and hairy cell leukemia]
C Rose1, E Auxenfants, M P Noel
1Service des Maladies du Sang, Hôpital Claude Huriez, CHRU de Lille.
Presse Medicale (Paris, France : 1983)
|February 8, 1997
Summary
Tuberculosis diagnosis in hairy cell leukemia (HCL) patients is challenging due to atypical presentations. Histopathology is crucial for diagnosing disseminated tuberculosis in HCL, with excellent patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Infectious Diseases
- Oncology
Context:
- Diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) and mycobacterial infections presents significant challenges in immunocompromised individuals.
- Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is a rare B-cell chronic lymphoid leukemia with a compromised immune system, increasing susceptibility to infections like TB.
Purpose:
- To investigate the clinical presentation, diagnostic methods, treatment, and outcomes of tuberculosis in patients with hairy cell leukemia.
- To highlight the diagnostic utility of histopathology in cases of disseminated tuberculosis within the HCL context.
Summary:
- A retrospective study of 6 HCL patients diagnosed with tuberculosis between 1982 and 1995 revealed that TB occurred in 8% of HCL cases.
- Tuberculosis in HCL patients typically presents with non-specific symptoms like fever and weight loss, with minimal pulmonary involvement and scarce microbiological evidence from sputum.
- Diagnosis was consistently achieved through histopathology of various tissues (bone marrow, lymph nodes, liver, spleen), confirming disseminated tuberculosis, often with hematopoietic involvement.
Impact:
- Histopathology is a critical diagnostic tool for disseminated tuberculosis in HCL patients, especially when microbiological methods are negative.
- Despite disseminated disease, tuberculosis in HCL patients demonstrates an excellent prognosis and is curable, potentially due to advancements in HCL treatment.
- This study underscores the importance of considering disseminated tuberculosis in HCL patients presenting with constitutional symptoms and cytopenias.