A case report of hairy cell leukemia

Hairy cell leukemia is a rare chronic lymphoproliferative disorder of mature B lymphocytes. Flowcytometry is necessary to arrive at correct diagnosis. It is important to differentiate HCL from other chronic B cell lymphoproliferative disorders because of the different treatment protocol and indolent course. We report a case of 48 years old male presenting with a chief complaints of fever, generalized weakness, fatigue, decrease appetite, and abdominal heaviness. Peripheral smear examination findings combined with bone marrow and flowcytometry confirmed the diagnosis of hairy cell leukemia. Hairy cell leukemia is a very rare leukemia and immunophenotypic findings are crucial to confirm the diagnosis.