Sideroblastic anemia associated wtih hairy cell leukemia.

A patient with leukemic reticuloendotheliosis ("hairy cell" leukemia) with sideroblastic anemia and an epinephrine-induced platelet-aggregation abnormality is presented. Immunologic membrane marker studies supported a B-lymphocyte origin of the hairy cells. It is hypothesized that a defect in the pluripotent marrow stem cell may be responsible for the hairy cell leukemia and for the intrinsic abnormalities in erythrocytes and platelets.