Reversible gelatinous transformation of bone marrow – A rare and reversible cause of pancytopenia in tuberculosis

Abstract

A 68-year-old man presented with a low-grade fever for one month. He had loss of appetite and had lost 6 kilograms of weight in the last two months. He was evaluated and found to have miliary tuberculosis with pancytopenia. The bone marrow revealed Gelatinous transformation of bone marrow and there was no evidence of other causes of pancytopenia like histiocytic hyperplasia, maturation arrest, or infiltration of the bone marrow. The pancytopenia improved with anti-tubercular treatment showing the reversible nature of the disease. To conclude, multiple mechanisms can result in pancytopenia in tuberculosis. A bone marrow study can reveal most of them including rare causes like GTBM.