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Rituximab - induced coagulopathy

Publication at Central Library of Charles University, Third Faculty of Medicine |
2012

Abstract

Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody against CD20 that became standard care of B-cell malignancies and some autoimmune disorders. Rituximab exhibits low toxicity profile, the most common side effects such as fever, chills or rigors occur typically within few hours of initiation of the first infusion.

Delayed side effects are far more rare and include transitory neutropenia, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy or intersticial pneumonitis. One of extremely rare complications is rituximab-induced coagulopathy.

It is self-limited event occurring early after the start of rituximab treatment. This phenomenon is not preceded by clinical symptomatology of cytokine releasing syndrome and till nowadays it was observed only in patients with WM or HCL.