Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

More than half of the people with rare diseases and their caregivers, asked in a survey, were undecided or less than willing to be vaccinated for COVID-19 if a vaccine was approved under emergency use authorization instead of the routine process, the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Disease reports. These findings…

The EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases is accepting applications for a scholarship program that aims to help adults with a rare disease pursue personal goals through training and education. For a second year, the #RAREis Scholarship Fund — supported by Horizon Therapeutics – will award 35 one-time scholarships, each…

COVID-19 can be associated with the development of cold agglutinin disease (CAD), leading to the need for blood transfusions. But the autoantibodies resulting from CAD may interfere with blood typing analyses needed for such transfusions, a case report found. The report, “Serological Blood Group Discrepancy and Cold…

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could cause cold agglutinin disease (CAD), a case report of two patients from France suggests. The cases were described in a letter to the editor of the journal Annals of Hematology. The letter, submitted by researchers from the University…

Japanese patients with cold agglutinin disease (CAD) are almost three times more likely to develop blood clots compared with people without this autoimmune disorder, a study reports. These findings are in agreement with the results for non-Asian populations, according to the researchers. The study, “Demographic characteristics, thromboembolism…

The risk of blood clots nearly doubles in people with cold agglutinin disease (CAD) compared with that seen in patients with other conditions, a large data study from the U.S. reports. “Increased risk of thrombotic events in cold agglutinin disease: A 10-year retrospective analysis” was published in the…

The autoantibodies found in people with cold agglutinin disease (CAD) carry high levels of sugar molecules, which may help distinguish them from those with related disorders, a study has found. The study, ““Glycosylation of Immunoglobulin Light Chains is Highly Prevalent in Cold Agglutinin Disease,” was published in…

The number of treatments for children with rare diseases has grown over the past decade, according to a new study. However, despite the increase, nearly 7,000 rare diseases are still lacking treatment. And federal incentives to boost treatment development for these rare diseases have primarily focused not on creating new…

The rare case of a man infected with the hepatitis E virus who developed autoimmune hemolytic anemia was described in a study that also highlighted the potential for underdiagnosing autoimmune complications in such infections. The study, “Unusual Presentation of Hepatitis E with Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia – A Case Report,”…

The wrong blood type may be given to people with undiagnosed autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), which can lead to them receiving blood transfusions from mismatched blood donors, a case report shows. This research highlights the need for rigorous lab work to determine and confirm blood type before blood…