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Acquired inhibitor to factor VIII in a patient with Hodgkin’s disease following treatment with interferon‐alpha
Author(s) -
Regina S.,
Colombat P.,
Fimbel B.,
Guerois C.,
Gruel Y.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
haemophilia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.213
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1365-2516
pISSN - 1351-8216
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2516.2001.00555.x
Subject(s) - medicine , prednisone , alpha interferon , partial thromboplastin time , chemotherapy , gastroenterology , autoantibody , surgery , antibody , interferon , immunology , coagulation
We describe a young woman who developed acquired haemophilia after 18 months of interferon (IFN‐)‐α therapy. This patient had been monitored since 1992 for Hodgkin’s disease initially treated by chemotherapy. After two relapses, she received intensive chemotherapy followed by an autologous peripheral progenitor cell graft. IFN‐α was then administered for 18 months. Bleeding of the limbs and tongue occurred 1 month after withdrawal of IFN‐α and high titres (123 Bethesda units) of autoantibody to factor VIII (FVIII):C were measured. Prednisone (1 mg kg −1 day −1 ) achieved rapid cessation of the bleeding and FVIII autoantibodies were undetectable 5 months later. This case report suggests that the activated partial thromboplastin time should be regularly checked in every patient treated with IFN‐α in cases of unexplained bleeding, together testing for antibodies to FVIII if the bleeding is prolonged.