No abstract available.
Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure*

No abstract available.
Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure* ; Rituximab*

Humans ; Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure

Thymoma, a rare epithelial neoplasm, is the most common anterior-superior mediastinal tumour. Thymoma can occur sporadically or in association with other conditions, such as myasthenia gravis, pure red cell aplasia (PRCA), and hypogammaglobulinemia. Only 5% of thymoma cases develop PRCA; however, 10–50% of patients presenting with PRCA have an associated spindle cell type thymoma. Thymoma complicated by PRCA is associated with a poor outcome. We report the case of a 38-year-old female who presented with chest pain, and was diagnosed with an anterior mediastinal mass. A thymectomy was performed, and histopathological examination revealed mixed thymoma; two months later, the patient developed PRCA. The present case reinforces the need for clinicians to be vigilant with thymoma patients, even following thymectomy.
Erythropoiesis ; Mediastinum ; Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure ; Thymoma

No abstract available.
Myelodysplastic Syndromes* ; Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure*

Consensus ; Humans ; Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure

The authors have described a case with pure red cell aplasia (P.R.C.A.) caused by the administration of diphenylhydantoin after head injury. P.R.C.A. associated with diphenylhydantoin is very rare and easily treated with a discontinuation of diphenylhydantoin & steroids.
Craniocerebral Trauma ; Phenytoin* ; Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure* ; Steroids

Humans ; Anemia, Aplastic/genetics* ; Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure ; Chromosome Disorders

Patients with erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA)-induced pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) should not routinely be switched to an alternative ESA or to darbepoetin-alpha because anti-erythropoietin (anti-EPO) antibodies cross-react with all kinds of recombinant ESAs. We present a case of ESA-induced PRCA in a 69-year-old man on hemodialysis whose anemia improved with reintroduction of darbepoetin-alpha following immunosuppressive therapy. The patient developed severe anemia after 15 months of subcutaneous administration of erythropoietin-alpha. After the diagnosis of PRCA, erythropoietin-alpha was discontinued and immunosuppressive therapy with a combination of prednisolone and oral cyclophosphamide was initiated. After 4 months of immunosuppressive therapy, the anti-EPO antibody titer was markedly decreased; however, esophageal candidiasis developed. Additional therapy with cyclosporine alone instead of prednisone and cyclophosphamide was performed, and anti-EPO antibody was subsequently not detected. Darbepoetin-alpha was then reintroduced, and the patient's anemia improved without red cell transfusion. In conclusion, ESA-induced PRCA was successfully treated with reintroduction of darbepoetin-alpha following immunosuppressive therapy.
Anemia ; Antibodies ; Candidiasis ; Cyclophosphamide ; Cyclosporine ; Dialysis ; Erythropoietin ; Humans ; Prednisolone ; Prednisone ; Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure ; Renal Dialysis

Pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) in adults is usually idiopathic, although some underlying conditions can cause PRCA. Immunosuppressive therapy (IST) is used to treat PRCA, but IST has side effects and may fail. The anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody alemtuzumab (ALM) was recently used to successfully treat therapy-resistant PRCA. We herein report successful treatment of secondary PRCA after erythropoietin therapy using ALM and cyclosporin A (CsA) in one patient. The total dose of ALM was 60 mg over 3 days (10, 20, and 30 mg, respectively) plus CsA for at least 6 months. The patient achieved a complete response 18 months after ALM-CsA treatment and his treatment could be changed to a different erythropoietin-stimulating agent.
Adult ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; Cyclosporine ; Erythropoietin ; Humans ; Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure