Autoimmune neutropenia following peripheral blood stem cell transplantation

The differential diagnosis of unexpected neutropenia following bone marrow transplantation includes several potentially life‐threatening complications including graft rejection, overwhelming infection, relapse of the underlying neoplasm, and intrinsic graft failure. However, a number of recent reports document that the differential diagnosis also includes autoimmune neutropenia, which, although potentially life‐threatening, often responds well to corticosteroids or splenectomy. Autoimmune neutropenia has been reported following both autologous and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Herein we report a 31‐year‐old woman who developed a rapidly falling neutrophil count 11 days following peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma. A laboratory evaluation supported a diagnosis of autoimmune neutropenia, and the neutropenia resolved following treatment with steroids and granulocyte‐colony stimulating factor. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.