[Ulcerative colitis in hairy cell leukemia. A case report]

Abstract

Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is a chronic lymphoproliferative disorder sometimes affected by autoimmune complications. The use of human recombinant alpha-interferon (alpha-IFN) in the therapy of this disease may also lead to the development or the exacerbation of autoimmune pathology. We report the case of a HCL patient, treated with IFN, who developed ulcerative colitis two years later and we discuss the possible correlations of these two entities.