Blood, 1960, Vol. 15, No. 5, pp. 748-757.
© 1960 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Hypogammaglobulinemia
and Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia—
An Experiment of Nature
ANTHONY V. PISCIOTTA ,
LOUIS F. JERMAIN , and
JEAN E. HINZ
1. The case study is presented of a 75 year old man who had chronic
lymphatic leukemia, autoimmune hemolytic anemia and hypogammaglobulinemia. The positive antiglobulin reaction with serum made from gamma
globulin and the neutralization of the antiglobulin reaction with human
gamma globulin demonstrated that this patient’s erythrocytes were coated
with gamma globulin.
2. There was a normal survival time of I131-labeled normal human gamma
globulin, suggesting defective synthesis of gamma globulin. Failure to
demonstrate radioactivity on the patient’s erythrocytes when I131-labeled normal gamma globulin was given signified that normal human gamma globulin
has no affinity in vivo for the patient’s red cells and that the erythrocyte-coating
protein was derived from a source endogenous to the patient.
3. These relationships favor an immunologic mechanism in the development
of an antiglobulin reaction in this patient.
