A Case of Cold Agglutinin Disease Accompanied by Bacterial Pneumonia That Was Treated with Rituximab.
- Author:
Ki Cheon JEONG
1
;
Mi Na KIM
;
Jun Beom PARK
;
Jeong Kyung PARK
;
Jong Ha YOO
;
Sun Hye KIM
;
Seung Tae LEE
;
Hoyoung MAENG
Author Information
1. Department of Internal Medicine, National Health Insurance Corporation Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea. hmaeng@gmail.com
- Publication Type:Case Report
- Keywords:
Cold agglutinin disease;
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia;
Rituximab
- MeSH:
Aged;
Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune;
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived;
Antigens, CD20;
Autoantibodies;
Autoimmune Diseases;
Azathioprine;
B-Lymphocytes;
Cold Temperature;
Cyclosporine;
Erythrocytes;
Hemagglutination;
Hemolysis;
Humans;
Immune System Diseases;
Immunoglobulins;
Immunosuppression;
Immunosuppressive Agents;
Lymphoproliferative Disorders;
Pneumonia, Bacterial;
Recurrence;
Splenectomy;
Rituximab
- From:Korean Journal of Blood Transfusion
2009;20(3):253-257
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
Cold agglutinin disease (CAD) is a small group of disorders that is characterized by cold-reactive autoantibodies that bind to erythrocyte carbohydrate antigens, and this causes hemagglutination and complement-mediated hemolysis. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is an immune disorder that is mediated via auto-antibodies produced by lymphoid B cells against red blood cells. The disorder may be a primary (idiopathic) or secondary disease with an underlying autoimmune disease, a lymphoproliferative disorder or infection. The mainstay of initial treatment is immunosuppression with glucocorticosteroids. For those who do not have satisfactory response to initial glucocorticosteroids or they have a relapse after initially successful treatment, splenectomy or other immunosuppressive agents such as azathioprine, cyclosporine and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) could be the next available options. More recently, rituximab, which is a human-murine chimeric monoclonal antibody specific for the CD20 antigen found on the surface of B lymphocytes, is also available. We report here on the successful use of rituximab for the treatment of a Korean elderly patient with CAD and the patient presented with recurrent AIHA.
