Use of immunoglobulin gene rearrangements to show clonal lymphoproliferation in hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly

In Africa, hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly (HMS), which is also known as tropical splenomegaly syndrome, can be associated with a prominent lymphocytosis in blood and bone marrow that is difficult to distinguish clinically from chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). The observation that some patients with HMS become resistant to treatment with anti-malarial drugs has led to the suggestion that HMS may evolve into a malignant lymphoproliferative disorder. To test this hypothesis, 22 Ghanaian patients with HMS and/or lymphocytosis were categorised by degree of response to proguanil according to standard clinical criteria, and DNA was extracted from peripheral blood cells and screened for rearrangements of the Jh region of the immunoglobulin gene with a DNA probe. Clonal rearrangements of the Jh region were found in all 3 patients with no response, in none of 13 patients with sustained response, and in 2 of 6 patients with moderate response or relapse on proguanil therapy. The detection of such rearrangements, and hence clonal lymphoproliferation in individuals with clinical features intermediate between HMS and CLL, supports the hypothesis that HMS may evolve into a malignant lymphoproliferative disorder.