A Case of Gamma Heavy Chain Disease Associated with Autoimmune Haemolytic Anaemia: Clinical,Haematological, Immunological and Pathological Details

A 76-year-old Japanese man, presented with a case of gamma heavy chain disease associated with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia. The clinical course progressed rapidly, accompanied by fever, lymphadenopathy, erythematous palate and hepatosplenomegaly. As the disease progressed, haemoglobin level gradually reduced, and jaundice occurred. A complication of autoimmune haemolytic anaemia was deduced from the laboratory data obtained at this time. The patient's serum and urine contained an M-component with electrophoretic and antigenic properties resembling those of the Fc-fragment of G₁ globulin. Microscopic and electron microscopic findings on the tumor cells infiltrating in lymphnodes indicated all types of transitional forms from small lymphocytes to large lymphoplasmoblastic cells.