9 January 2018 (Tuesday) - McLeod's Syndrome


The Lablogatory people sent an interesting case today.

We were asked to review the peripheral blood smear of an 18-year-old male who had presented to the emergency department with shortness of breath and abdominal distension. His past medical history was significant for numerous hospitalizations for recurrent fungal and bacterial pneumonia, pulmonary abscesses, osteomyelitis, necrotizing granulomas, and cervical lymphadenopathy requiring multiple lymphadenectomies. This history dates back to when he was 3 months old

It turned out the patient had McLeod syndrome; a hereditary X-linked condition. The article was very interesting and informative about the syndrome… I couldn’t help but wonder why (given the medical history) this hadn’t come to light earlier?
At the risk of giving offence I wonder if this case happened in the USA where scrutiny of a blood film might well have been an economy that had been made in the past?


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