Characterization of anti-erythrocyte autoantibodies in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients in Brazil.

The existence of an association between autoimmune phenomena and lymphoproliferative neoplasms is well known. In Campinas at the University Hospital seventy-seven adult patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were studied at diagnosis. The histological subgroup NHL was performed using Kiel criteria and all patients were characterized by clinical and laboratory examinations according to the Ann Arbor staging. The results of the immunohaematological evaluation of our patients with NHL showed that: 28% presented erythrocyte autoantibodies (auto anti-I or auto-IgG without specificity) but only one developed haemolytic anaemia. There was a weak correlation between low-grade lymphoma and erythrocyte autoantibodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]