Margarida Maia, PhD, science writer —

How childhood autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) — a group of rare conditions that includes cold agglutinin disease (CAD) — is defined and classified varies widely, as does the approach to care for children with hard-to-treat disease, a review study shows. “Standardized definitions and classifications are needed to guide collaborative efforts…

The detection of cold agglutinins, the self-reactive antibodies that drive cold agglutinin disease (CAD), was crucial for the correct diagnosis and management of anemia — lower than normal levels of red blood cells or hemoglobin — in a 37-year-old man with several traumatic injuries after a motorcycle accident, according…

A woman in Costa Rica developed cold agglutinin disease (CAD) secondary to a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that was complicated by nephritis, a serious kidney inflammation that often occurs with this form of lupus. CAD “is exceptionally rare in SLE, with few cases being reported in…

A Japanese woman developed cold agglutination disease (CAD) following COVID-19 and a secondary bacterial infection in the lungs that may have worsened her symptoms, a case study showed. “There is a need for continuous observation to evaluate whether COVID-19, even when it does not require hospitalization, is related to…

Vermont Governor Phil Scott has signed into law a bill that improves access to the right medication at the right time by requiring both private and public health insurers to make timely exceptions to their step therapy policies. Misuse of step therapy protocols, which require patients to “fail first” on…

A woman with both cold agglutinin disease (CAD) and myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare blood cancer, responded well to treatment with a moderate dose of the corticosteroid prednisolone followed by cyclosporine, an immunosuppressant, a case study reports. While corticosteroids usually fail to treat CAD, they were used in this case…

Daratumumab, given on its own, could be a treatment for adults with hard to treat cold agglutinin disease (CAD), with more than half of the patients in a small study in Europe responding well to the therapy. The findings add to previous reports about the successful use of…

Cold agglutinin disease (CAD) secondary to a blood cancer was the most likely diagnosis for an elderly woman in Washington, D.C., despite a negative result on a diagnostic test for CAD known as a direct Coombs test, a case report shows. The test assesses whether red blood cells…

Cold agglutinin disease (CAD) secondary to an infection with the Epstein-Barr virus led to a blocked vein due to blood clots in a young girl in Turkey, prolonging her hospital stay, a case study shows. The report, “A Rare Case Presentation: EBV-related Cold Agglutinin Disease and Venous Thrombosis,”…

People with cold agglutinin disease (CAD) who were on Enjaymo (sutimlimab-jome) during clinical trials produced antibodies in response to COVID-19 vaccination, suggesting their ability to mount an immune response was not impaired, a recent study reports. In patients with a waning immune response, a booster dose was enough…