Partial albinism with immunodeficiency: Griscelli syndrome: report of a case and review of the literature

Abstract

Partial albinism with immunodeficiency (Griscelli syndrome) is an uncommon disorder characterized by pigmentary dilution and variable immunodeficiency. Features include a silvery-gray sheen to the hair, large clumped melanosomes in hair shafts, and prominent mature melanosomes in cutaneous melanocytes with sparse pigmentation of adjacent keratinocytes. Immunologic abnormalities most often include impaired natural killer cell activity, absent delayed-type hypersensitivity, and impaired responses to mitogens. Impaired helper T cell function and hypogammaglobulinemia have also been described. The syndrome can be differentiated from Chediak-Higashi syndrome by pathognomonic light and electron microscopic features in skin and hair, and absence of consistent granulocyte abnormalities, but similarly carries a poor prognosis without bone marrow transplantation. We describe a patient with Griscelli syndrome who presented with hepatosplenomegaly, hepatitis, pancytopenia, and silvery hair in the newborn period.