Publications : 2021

Broome CM, Patel P, Jiang X, Iglesias-Rodriguez M, Fryzek J. Increased antidepressant use among newly diagnosed patients with cold agglutinin disease compared with other patients in a large US healthcare system. Poster presentation and Abstract EP1180 to European Hematology Association Congress, June 2021.

Abstract

Cold agglutinin disease (CAD) is a rare form of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) that accounts for approximately 20% of all AIHA and is characterized by classical complement pathway–mediated hemolysis. Clinical manifestations of CAD can include complement-mediated chronic hemolytic anemia, profound fatigue, as well as transient agglutination-mediated circulatory symptoms (Swiecicki et al. Blood 2013). CAD (formerly primary CAD) is clinically distinct from secondary cold agglutinin syndrome (CAS), which is caused because of an underlying condition (coexisting diagnosis of overt malignancy or infection). Recent research has shown that patients with anemia are more likely to develop depression and anxiety (Shafi et al. J Coll Physicians Surg Pak 2018; Vulser et al. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2016); however, this has not been studied in patients with CAD.