Delayed diagnoses: nonspecific findings and diagnostic challenges in eating disorders

Autopsy of a case of rheumatoid arthritis with severe bicytopoenia due to gelatinous transformation of the bone marrow

We present the case of an elderly female patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with methotrexate. She was referred to our hospital with severe malaise. She was emaciated and had massive pleural effusion that induced atelectasis. Her blood tests revealed elevated CRP, leukopenia, and severe anaemia. She lost consciousness on the third day of hospital stay and passed away the following day. Her autopsy showed gelatinous transformation of the bone marrow that gave rise to bicytopoenia, whereas there were no other causes for severe anaemia. Bone marrow gelatinous transformation can cause impaired haematopoiesis in elderly RA patients.