News

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…

Physicians should be aware that patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) are at greater risk of experiencing thrombotic events — blood vessel obstruction driven by blood clots — to better manage their condition, a case report highlighted. The case study, “Autoimmune Hemolytic…

An examination of medical records of Indian children with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), a group of disorders that includes cold agglutinin disease, found managing infants and those with secondary AIHA challenging, with almost one-third of patients needing treatment…

People with cold agglutinin disease (CAD) have significantly lower blood levels of C3 and C4 — two key molecules of the body’s innate complement immune system — than their healthy peers, a study found. Notably, CAD patients showed the lowest levels of C3 and C4 among autoimmune hemolytic…

Rare Disease Day at NIH, organized by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and taking place on March 1, will feature panel discussions, patient stories, research updates, TED-style talks, and a presentation by a Nobel laureate recently recognized for her work on a gene editing tool. The free, virtual…

Modified red blood cell products may be better at counteracting anemia than red blood cell suspensions normally used in conventional blood transfusions, while posing fewer side effects to patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), a review study has found. Yet, investigators noted that additional studies will be needed to…

People with rare disorders have a worse healthcare experience than those affected by chronic diseases, according to the results of an international survey conducted by Eurordis-Rare Diseases Europe. Indeed, rare disease patients overall give their healthcare experience a medium-low rating, of 2.5 on a scale of 1 to 5,…

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…