Fatal Pancytopenia Associated with Viral Hepatitis

MANY agents have been implicated as causing pancytopenia.1 Often, the evidence is circumstantial and is based solely upon the appearance of bone-marrow depression during or shortly after exposure to one or more agents. Although the list of presumptive causes of bone-marrow hypoplasia continues to grow, the majority of cases are still designated as idiopathic. Repeated observations incriminating the same agent are necessary to establish a reasonable etiologic relation. The association of pancytopenia with viral hepatitis has rarely been recognized, and most of the reports have appeared in the foreign literature.2 3 4 Although the cases are few a striking similarity between them . . .