Marisa Wexler, MS, senior science writer —

Cold agglutinin disease (CAD) and not the cancer therapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) was found to be the cause of anemia in a 64-year-old man with lung cancer, according to a recent case report. The patient’s CAD arose as a result of another type of cancer — a lymphoma —…

Eurordis opened a campaign, called Rare 2030 Action, that is seeking to establish a European action plan for rare diseases to ensure that none of the 30 million people in Europe living with rare diseases are left behind by the start of a new decade. As part of…

The case of an 80-year-old man with cold agglutinin disease (CAD) who underwent abdominal surgery to remove his gallbladder was described in a recent report. Its investigators highlighted steps that can be taken to minimize the risk of CAD-related complications during surgery, such as increasing the temperature of the…

Cold agglutinin disease (CAD) is more frequently diagnosed during winter months at multiple locations across Europe, supporting outdoor temperature as a disease trigger, researchers reported. Findings also suggest that, in general, people living in places with milder weather may be less likely to experience CAD symptoms and, as such,…

The case of a man with COVID-19 who temporarily developed elevated levels of cold agglutinins — the self-reactive antibodies that cause cold agglutinin disease (CAD) — was described in a recent report. According to researchers, this is the third known case of elevated cold agglutinin levels documented in…

A type of protein modification called glycosylation is associated with higher levels of disease-causing antibodies in cold agglutinin disease (CAD), new research suggests. The findings highlight the role that antibody modifications play in antibody-driven diseases like CAD, researchers said. The study, “In from the cold: M‐protein…

The burden of disease among people with primary cold agglutinin disease (CAD) remains high multiple years after diagnosis, illustrating the unmet needs of these patients, new data from a large U.S. Electronic Health Record (EHR) database shows. The data were shared in a presentation, titled “Longitudinal…

Cold agglutinin disease (CAD) disease negatively affects a variety of aspects of daily living, with patients often experiencing fatigue, according to new research. In a separate study, it was found that CAD patients appear to be at an increased risk of anxiety or depression. Researchers from Sanofi…

People with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) — a type of blood cancer — that co-occurs with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) have a poor prognosis, suggesting a need for further research into this rare combination of conditions, a case report highlights. The case was reported at the 2020 Lymphoma,…

The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)’s RareLaunch training program will host two days of free virtual workshops in December, with the aim of empowering leaders to start non-profit organizations and research programs to help people with rare diseases.  “The RareLaunch program is…