Erythrocyte involvement in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is a lymphoproliferative disorder which sometimes also affects the erythrocytes. In this study we investigated erythrocyte involvement in 23 CLL patients. We found increased erythrocyte osmotic fragility in 15 CLL patients, but this finding was not accompanied by increased permeability to acidified glycerol (decreased AGLT₅₀). Only those CLL patient who had positive direct antiglobulin test (DAT) had significantly decreased AGLT₅₀. AGLT cannot serve as a predictor test for the future development of autoimmune haemolytic anaemia in CLL patients. ATP content was unaffected by the lymphoproliferative disease, but whole blood filterability was markedly decreased in CLL patients. Our study supports the hypothesis that erythrocytes are indeed affected by the lymphoproliferative disorder, even in the absence of overt autoimmune haemolytic processes.