title: Neurologic complications of hairy cell leukemia.
abstract: Involvement of the nervous system in some forms of leukemia is a common, well-recognized problem. To our knowledge, no study has investigated hairy cell leukemia (HCL) with this question in mind, so we reviewed the records of 108 patients with HCL seen during a seven-year period. Neurologic complications developed in roughly 5% of these patients. Direct infiltration of the nervous system in cases of HCL has rarely been reported in the literature, and the clinico-pathologic appearance is insufficiently documented. We found no cases of direct invasion of the nervous system and only one case of vertebral-body invasion and radicular compression, indicating that epidural spread is also rare. Infection was the most frequent cause of neurologic problems in this series of patients with HCL.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007943:Leukemia, Hairy Cell / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications*