title: Successful treatment of refractory autoimmune hemolytic anemia with monthly rituximab following nonmyeloablative stem cell transplantation for sickle cell disease.
abstract: Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) can occur following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and may be associated with other cytopenias. It can also occur in the context of chronic red cell transfusion in patients maintained on hypertransfusion regimens. There are an increasing number of reports on the successful treatment of autoimmune cytopenias with the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab, including a few patients in a post-HSCT setting. The authors report the successful treatment with rituximab of refractory AIHA following allogeneic nonmyeloablative bone marrow transplantation in a child with sickle cell disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, USA.
authors.forename: Ashok
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raj
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bertolone
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cheerva
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000744:Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D017707:Erythrocyte Transfusion / Q000009:adverse effects; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012074:Remission Induction; D000069283:Rituximab; D019172:Transplantation Conditioning / Q000379:methods; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000069283:Rituximab