Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hematopathology
Online ISSN : 1880-9952
Print ISSN : 1346-4280
ISSN-L : 1346-4280
Splenic Lymphangiomatosis with Inflammatory Signs and Elevated Serum Interleukin-6
A Case Report
Mikiko IseToshinao TakenouchiChikara Sakai
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JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2004 Volume 44 Issue 2 Pages 77-80

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Abstract

Lymphangiomatosis is a rare disorder believed to result from a developmental malformation of the lymphatic system. Lymphangiomatosis involves bone, soft tissues, and viscera in a diffuse fashion. We describe an unusual case of splenic lymphangiomatosis that was accompanied by remarkable inflammatory signs. A 38-year-old Japanese woman was admitted to our hospital because of gross splenomegaly. She presented with fatigue, anemia, elevated serum C-reactive protein and polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia. Her serum concentration of interleukin-6 (IL-6) was also elevated. She was born with lymphangiomatosis in the right leg, which was partially resected during infancy. Because of the risk of traumatic rupture, a total splenectomy was performed two weeks after admission. During postoperative follow-up examinations the patient's inflammatory signs and her serum IL-6 level returned quickly to normal. This could have been caused by a large release of IL-6 from the spleen. We confirmed by immunohistochemistry that IL-6 was produced within the spleen. Our findings indicate a strong association between splenic lymphangiomatosis and IL-6 production.

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© by The Japanese Society for Lymphoreticular Tissue Research
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