Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma Presenting with Severe, Recurrent Hypothermic Episodes

Abstract

We report a case presenting with recurrent episodes of severe hypothermia preceding the diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma. The episodes of hypothermia were accompanied by other symptoms of autonomic dysfunction, mainly hypotension, which could be caused by autonomic neuropathy as part of a paraneoplastic syndrome. In comparison with previous reports describing an association between the presence of hypothermia and an adverse outcome, the present patient has responded well to lymphoma-specific treatment and is currently in an ongoing complete remission. Due to the peculiar cyclic pattern of the hypothermic episodes presented in this case, we hypothesize whether intermittent release of disease-related chemo- and cytokines could be a plausible pathogenetic explanation.