A stem cell transplant led to lasting remission of cold agglutinin disease (CAD) secondary to an aggressive lymphoma in a 48-year-old woman, according to a case report from Japan. This was only the second reported CAD case in which levels of disease-causing self-reactive antibodies completely normalized after a stem…
Discussion
“Schools out, schools out! Teacher let the fools out. No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks!” I remember running home, singing that old rhyme, having finally escaped the drudgery of the elementary classroom. Three whole months stretched before me. Grabbing a book from my shelf, I…
Discussion
“Kudzu!” A long time ago, my daughter and her friend, both GRITS — that is, girls raised in the South — giggled together in a classroom when they first heard about the invasive vine with the funny name. But I’m pretty sure everyone in the southern U.S. has dealt with…
Discussion
It was the worst thing I have ever done to my skin. There was no way I could get over to my dad’s that evening with this stuff on my face. The lower third of my face was blue! I was trying out a new product for removing some excess…
Discussion
A 58-year-old woman who developed cold agglutinin disease (CAD) as a complication of blood cancer improved after treatment with medications to reduce the immune attack on red blood cells, along with chemotherapy for the underlying cancer. Meanwhile, corticosteroids and other medications helped two patients with different forms of autoimmune…
Cold agglutinin disease (CAD) is a rare disorder in which the immune system mistakenly attacks red blood cells, resulting in anemia.
CAD is characterized by autoantibodies, called cold agglutinins, binding to and activating the destruction of red blood cells when exposed to cold temperatures.
Symptoms of CAD include fatigue, Raynaud’s syndrome, joint pain, jaundice or skin discoloration, and heart problems. These symptoms can worsen with more cold exposure.
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