A 39-year-old male with classical Anderson–Fabry disease (AFD) and long-standing idiopathic splenomegaly, who had been on
haemodialysis since the age of 24, was splenectomised for symptomatic pancytopaenia. Spleen enlargement was first noted at
clinical presentation, at age 16, but despite thorough investigation its cause remained unclear. Anaemia, leukopaenia and
thrombocytopaenia were first observed a few years thereafter, but well before the start of dialytic treatment. On gross pathological
examination the spleen weighed 700 g and had a fibrocongestive appearance. Histologically, it showed expansion of the red
pulp and decreased white pulp. Some histiocytes and many of the endothelial cells lining the sinusoids had vacuolated cytoplasm
with argyrophilic material within, suggesting their involvement in the storage pathology of AFD. In a retrospective review
of our cohort of patients with classical AFD (n = 10), complete blood counts showing anaemia, leukopaenia or thrombocytopaenia were found in five, two and four patients,
respectively, including a 6-year-old boy, whose spleen was also enlarged. Data from AFD international registries show that
peripheral blood cytopaenias, particularly anaemia, are prevalent among these patients. Sinusoidal endothelial involvement
resulting in compromise of splenic blood flow may be the cause of congestive splenomegaly and hypersplenism in classical AFD.
Keywords Anderson–Fabry disease – Splenomegaly – Hypersplenism – Thrombocytopaenia
An erratum to this article can be found at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00428-011-1146-2