Case report
Thymoma associated with hypogammaglobulinaemia and pure red cell aplasia

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Abstract

A sixty-eight year old woman is described who presented with recurrent acute bronchitis and was found to have hypogammaglobulinaemia of the primary acquired form and anaemia due to pure red cell aplasia. An unusual feature was the presence of normal numbers of plasma cells in the bone marrow. A myocardial infarct developed subsequently and the patient died. A thymoma was found at autopsy. The association of hypogammaglobulinaemia with pure red cell aplasia and thymoma is discussed. The precise mechanism of this association is unknown but is probably some form of immunologic defect.

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    From the Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, Scotland.

    Present address: Respiratory Diseases Unit, Northern General Hospital, Edinburgh, Scotland.

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