Thymic hypoplasia, auto-immune haemolytic anaemia and juvenile pemphigoid in an infant.

A female infant developed auto-immune haemolytic anaemia and juvenile pemphigoid, and died at the age of 10 months. Autopsy showed evidence of thymic hypoplasia and T lymphocyte deficiency. It was concluded that the two rare auto-immune diseases occurring in this child probably resulted from a lack of T cell regulation of antibody-producing B lymphocytes.