1983 Volume 24 Issue 3 Pages 276-280
A 49-year-old man, born in Saga Prefecture, had been suffering from skin lesions (erythroderma, solar dermatitis) since he first noted an erythema in 1966. He was admitted to the hospital because of skin lesions and proteinuria in 1977. He had inguinal lymph node swelling without hepatosplenomegaly. A white cell count was 7,800 with 2% abnormal lymphocytes. Histologic examination of biopsy specimens of lymph node and erythrodermic skin showed slight infiltration of abnormal lymphocytes in eacho rgan.
In September 1979, he was admitted to the hospital because of renal failure, and received hemodialysis. Hemoglobin concentration was 7.9 g/dl, and white cell count 12,700/cmm with 24% abnormal cells. Despite treatment, he died of renal insufficiency and cerebral hemorrage in August 1981. Autopsy showed lymph nodes, skin, liver, spleen and bone marrow infiltrated with small abnormal lymphocytes.
The clinical course of this patient was “smoldering”. He developed typical ATL after more than 13 years of illness, and died of renal insufficiency.
