Multicentric Castleman's disease associated with rheumatoid arthritis: a possible role of hepatitis B antigen.

A patient with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis and a carrier of hepatitis B surface antigen developed angiofollicular hyperplasia (multicentric Castleman's disease). The hepatitis B virus and the rheumatoid factor may have had a role in the aetiology of this lymphatic disorder. The development of Castleman's disease in association with these factors may provide another clue supporting the reactive nature of this disease.