[Spontaneous splenic hypofunction in systemic lupus erythematosus and primary Sjögren syndrome].
The objective of this study was to evaluate hyposplenism in autoimmune diseases by the presence of Howell-Jolly bodies in blood erythrocytes and 99Tc spleen scan. Blood smears of 174 patients with autoimmune diseases and 126 controls were studied. Other possible causes for the presence of Howell-Jolly bodies were excluded. Evidence of hyposplenism was demonstrated in 4 of 79 patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and in 2 of 18 cases of primary Sjögren Syndrome (PSS), whereas no hyposplenism was found in the remaining cases of other autoimmune diseases. In one of the patients with SLE, hyposplenism was transient. Among the control cases, a patient with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia with splenomegaly presented hyposplenism.


CONCLUSIONS
1) Hyposplenism is more frequently found in SLE and PSS than in other autoimmune diseases. 2) Hyposplenism in autoimmune diseases can be transient. 3) Splenomegaly and enlarged spleen scan do not exclude hyposplenism.
Vallés
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Instituto de Inmunología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo y Hospital Central, Mendoza, Argentina.
Rivero
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Morán
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Diumenjo
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MS
D004908:Erythrocyte Inclusions / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013667:Technetium
D013667:Technetium
Hipofunción esplénica espontánea en lupus eritematoso sistémico y síndrome de Sjogren primario.