These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Rituximab treatment of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura in the setting of connective tissue disease.
    Author: Niewold TB, Alpert D, Scanzello CR, Paget SA.
    Journal: J Rheumatol; 2006 Jun; 33(6):1194-6. PubMed ID: 16755668.
    Abstract:
    Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) causes significant morbidity and mortality, and may be associated with connective tissue diseases (CTD). Some cases are refractory to plasma exchange and require immunosuppressive therapy. We describe 2 patients with CTD who had refractory TTP treated successfully with rituximab. Both patients also developed heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). The propensity of a patient with a CTD to develop autoantibodies to ADAMTS-13 and platelets likely explains the association of such a disease with TTP and HIT. Rituximab should be considered in this complex clinical setting, because it may decrease the production of multiple pathogenic autoantibodies.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]