Patients with cold agglutinin disease (CAD) may be at a higher risk of mortality during the winter months, according to a letter published in Transfusion. The letter showed evidence of a 4.5 (95% CI, 2.00-10.08) times increased risk of death in patients from Denmark during the winter months (December, January, and February) when data were…
People with rare diseases who live in the United States have a poor health-related quality of life and experience significant stigma, according to a study published in the Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases. A rare disease in the United States can be defined as any disease in which the prevalence is less than 200,000 cases.…
CAN106 is safe and well-tolerated in healthy volunteers, according to the results of a phase 1 clinical trial that will be presented at the European Hematology Association’s 2022 annual congress. Moreover, the treatment resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in free C5 and CH50 as well as a complete and sustained complement blockade for up to…
Researchers from Malaysia reported the case of a woman who developed cold agglutinin disease (CAD) following a COVID-19 infection. “We believe that her condition deteriorated due to the ‘cytokine storm’ and complement cascade,” they wrote in an article published in the Hong Kong Medical Journal. The link between autoimmune hemolytic anemia such as CAD and…
Researchers reported a case of cold agglutinin disease (CAD) occurring secondary to severe SARS-CoV-2 infection that was treated with eculizumab and published their findings in BMJ Case Reports. They showed that the eculizumab therapy quasi-resolved the hemolysis, but ultimately the patient died of the COVID-19 infection. “Secondary CAD can be related to hematological or infectious…
An appropriate molecular diagnosis of inborn errors of immunity, including cold agglutinin disease (CAD), directly impacts the prognosis while also allowing the use of novel target therapies, according to a new study published in Frontiers in Immunology. These potential therapies can correct abnormal functioning of the typical immune responses in these diseases. The team of…
The number of cases of cold agglutinin disease (CAD) and other hematological diseases associated with the use of immunotherapeutic agents is escalating, according to a new study published in Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America. Hwang et al reported that the rise of immune-related CAD and other hematologic adverse events might relate to the increasing use…
Researchers from Japan presented the case of a man, aged 80 years who developed necrosis secondary to cold agglutinin disease (CAD), as published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. This case highlights the importance of managing the disease in a timely manner to avoid the development of complications. The patient presented here had gone to…
Cold agglutinin disease (CAD) can present as black fingertips and dark urine, according to a new case report published in QJM: An International Journal of Medicine. The case involved a previously healthy 55-year-old woman who was found to have digital gangrene, elevated cold agglutinin titer, and a monoclonal immunoglobulin M-kappa protein without MYD88 L265P mutation,…
The use of reactivity testing and genotyping is necessary to differentiate cold agglutinin disease (CAD) from other forms of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) to provide optimal care for patients, according to a new study published in Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America. “In the presence of autoantibodies, the failure to identify an underlying alloantibody may lead…