Autoimmunity in Waldenstroem's Macroglobulinaemia

Fifty-seven consecutive patients with Waldenstroem's Macroglobuliemia were studied retrospectively for autoimmune manifestations. 28 patients or 51% (16 women and 13 men) had clinical and/or serological autoimmune manifestations, two or more of these being concomitant in 20 (12 women and 8 men)...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Leukemia & lymphoma 1999-07, Vol.34 (3-4), p.373-379
Main Authors: Joensson, V, Kierkegaard, A, Salling, S, Molander, S, Andersen, L P, Christiansen, M, Wiik, A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Waldenstroem's macroglobulinemia
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Summary:Fifty-seven consecutive patients with Waldenstroem's Macroglobuliemia were studied retrospectively for autoimmune manifestations. 28 patients or 51% (16 women and 13 men) had clinical and/or serological autoimmune manifestations, two or more of these being concomitant in 20 (12 women and 8 men). The predominant findings were Coombs' positive autoimmune hemolytic anemia (16%), seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (16%), inflammatory gastric ulcer with parietal cell autoantibodies (12%), and IgM-cardiolipin syndrome (11%). 40% of the autoimmune manifestations were present at the time of diagnosis of the Waldenstroem's Macroglobulinaemia and 60% were observed over a mean period of 4.7 years. All patients had an IgM M-component. There was no correlation between autoimmunity and the size of the M-component or the degree of hypo-IgG and hypo-IgA gammaglobulinemia. The only correlation between autoimmunity and infection was found in patients with gastric ulcer and parietal cell autoantibodies, in whom the infection was caused by Helicobacter pylori.
ISSN:1042-8194