[Analysis of response to interferon alpha-2b and the significance of antinuclear antibodies in hairy cell leukemia]. / Análisis de la respuesta al interferón alfa-2b y significado de la presencia de anticuerpos antinucleares en la tricoleucemia.

Hairy cell leukemia is a uncommon B-cell chronic lymphoproliferative disease rarely associated with autoimmune phenomena. We present a positive CD 5 case with a positive antinuclear antibodies test in the absence of any relation to any other clinical autoimmune disease syndrome and we analyse the evolutive profile of serum concentration of several factors with prognostic significance, relating to the interferon alpha-2b treatment: C reactive protein, beta 2-microglobulin and erythropoietin presented at first very high basal levels that descended progressively until the last two normalized completely; the tumor necrosis factor-alpha manifested stable with normal values during the whole study; the gamma-interferon and interleukin-6 revealed a precocious increase at the start of the treatment later returning to their basal levels. These parameters may aid to assess the response to treatment in these patients.