[Thymic tumours, autoimmune neutropaenia and autoimmune haemolytic anaemia].
BACKGROUND
Although an association between thymic tumour and autoimmune disease (including autoimmune cytopenia) has been established, the association between thymic tumour and autoimmune neutropenia has rarely been reported, with only 13 cases described in the literature.


METHODS
We report on a 30 year old man diagnosed with autoimmune neutropenia who had been treated for invasive thymic tumour one year previously. He successfully responded to cyclosporin and steroids therapy. A few months later, the patient presented with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia after prematurely halting his own immunosuppressive treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
This observation brings additional insights about the clinical features, biology and treatment of autoimmune neutropenia associated with thymic tumours and underlines the potential severity of such an association. Furthermore, the association of a thymic tumour with both autoimmune neutropaenia and autoimmune haemolytic anaemia has not been reported previously.
Service de Pneumologie, Centre hospitalier, Lyon Sud, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France. mariecoudurier@yahoo.fr
M
M
Coudurier
R
R
Houot
L
L
Geriniere
S
S
Blandin
G
G
Salles
T
T
Lamy
P-J
PJ
Souquet
D000328:Adult; D000743:Anemia, Hemolytic / Q000209:etiology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000276:immunology*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*