Autoimmune hemolytic anemia as an initial manifestation of Hodgkin’s Disease: Case report

Abstract

This paper presents the case of an 11 year-old male who attended the Internal Medicine Service at a high complexity pediatric hospital. Initially, the patient attended due to a clinical profile consisting of autoimmune hemolytic anemia that was partially responsive to steroid treatment and, after exhaustive complimentary analysis, was associated to a Hodgkin lymphoma. Similar cases found in the scientific literature were reviewed in order to analyze this case. Through this paper, the authors intend to remind the medical community about the importance of a prompt and deep study of all autoimmune hemolytic anemia cases found in pediatric patients, without overlooking possible malignant causes related to this condition such as a lymphoproliferative disorder. Thus, before diagnosing a hemolytic anemia as idiopathic, the practitioner must be certain that the condition is not a clinical manifestation of an underlying disease.

Keywords

• Anemia
• Hemolytic Anemia
• Hodgkin Disease