Successful treatment with rituximab in boy with Evans syndrome - case report

Abstract

Autoimuna hemolitička anemija (AIHA) je bolest uzrokovana nastankom protutijela usmjerenih protiv antigena na površini vlastitih eritrocita. Ovisno o termalnim obilježjima, autoprotutijela se dijele na: hemolitičke anemije uzrokovane “toplim” i “hladnim” protutijelima. AIHA-i mogu biti primarni i sekundarni. Sekundarni AIHA-i su udruženi s nekom drugom bolešću poput sistemskog lupusa eritematodesa, imunodefi cijencije ili limfoproliferativog poremećaja. Osnovno obilježje AIHA-a je pozitivan direktni Coombsov test koji otkriva protutijela klase IgG i dijelove komplementa (najčešće anti- C3) vezane na površinu eritrocita. Evansov sindrom je istodobna ili uzastopna pojava AIHA-a s pozitivnim direktnim Coombsovim testom i imune trombocitopenije (ITP). U radu smo prika zali dvogodišnjeg dječaka u kojeg je u dobi od 10 mjeseci dijagnosticiran AIHA rekurentnog tijeka. U dobi od 17 mjeseci uz osnovnu bolest otkriven je i ITP te je postavljena dijagnoza Evansovog sindroma. Dječak je liječen glukokortikoidima, pripravkom humanih imunoglobulina, transfuzijama deplazmatiziranih eritrocita i koncentratom trombocita u više navrata, ali bez remisije bolesti. Naposljetku, primjenom rituksimaba postignuto je kliničko poboljšanje i višemjesečna remisija bolesti.Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) is caused by production of antibodies against antigens on the surface of the red blood cells. It can be classifi ed as haemolytic anaemia due to warm and cold reactive antibodies and divided into primary and secondary AIHA (associated with an underlying disease: systemic lupus erythematodes, immunodefi ciency, lymphoproliferative disorders). The main feature of this anaemia is positive direct Coombs test which demonstrates antibodies of IgG class and complement (mostly anti-C3) on the surface of the red blood cells. Evans syndrome is the presence of simultaneous or sequential direct Coombs-positive AIHA in conjunction with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). We report on a 2-year-old boy with diagnosed AIHA at age of 10 months with a repetitive course. At age of 17 months concomitant ITP occurs and diagnosis of Evans syndrome was made. The patient was treated with glucocorticoids, human immunoglobulins, red blood cells and platelet transfusions many times, without the stabile remission. Finally, treatment with rituximab was followed by clinical improvement and disease remission lasting for months

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