Brief Report
Paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria due to an IgA Donath–Landsteiner antibody
Conflict of interest: JM now works for a commercial company, Grifols Shared Services. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Abstract
Paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria (PCH) is an autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) characterized by the presence of a Donath–Landsteiner (D-L) antibody. PCH occurs most commonly in young children and is associated with acute, often self-limited hemolytic anemia. The D-L antibody is classically a biphasic IgG anti-P autoantibody identified by the D-L test. Rare case reports confirm the existence of IgM D-L antibodies. We report the case of a 2-year-old male diagnosed with acute AIHA and found to have PCH caused by an IgA D-L antibody. The clinical course and treatment of this condition, which has not been reported previously, are described. Pediatr Blood Cancer © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
