Managing a pregnant patient with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria in the era of eculizumab

Alexey V. Danilov, Robert A. Brodsky, Sabrina Craigo, Hedy Smith, Kenneth B. Miller

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

30 Scopus citations

Abstract

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare clonal stem cell disorder, which affects women of child-bearing age. PNH is associated with thrombotic complications, which are the main causes of morbidity and mortality. Management of a pregnant woman with PNH remains a challenge due to high incidence of thrombotic complications and the difficulty of differentiating a PNH crisis from the complications of pregnancy. PNH is associated with an increased rate of premature labor and fetal loss. Eculizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against the terminal complement protein C5, has revolutionized treatment of PNH. However, the role of eculizumab in pregnancy is unclear. We review the current strategies for the management of pregnant women with PNH, underline the controversies and present our recommendations.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)566-571
Number of pages6
JournalLeukemia Research
Volume34
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2010
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Eculizumab
  • PNH
  • Pregnancy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Hematology
  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

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