Abstract

BACKGROUND
Pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) is an uncommon cause of anemia in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). It is attributed to recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) administration. Although immunosuppression is the mainstay therapy, its effectiveness varies from 30% to 70%. PRCA in ESKD has been reported to improve following kidney transplantation.
CASE REPORT
A 46-year-old woman with ESKD secondary to lupus nephritis was treated for uremia at our center. She developed severe anemia. Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy revealed a reduction of erythroid precursors, consistent with PRCA. Because she had no sibling’s blood group matched with her, ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation was an option for treatment. She underwent a desensitization protocol consisting of rituximab 375 mg/m2, tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisolone 4 weeks before surgery, in addition to 3 sessions of double-filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) every other day followed by intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and 1 session of specific immunoadsorption (Glycosorb® B column) at pre-transplant day -1. She also received low-dose rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (rATG) (Thymoglobulin®) (total 2.0 mg/kg). Maintenance therapy included tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisolone. Allograft function normalized a few days after transplantation and her Hb gradually increased.
CONCLUSIONS
We report a rare case of PRCA in a patient with ESKD undergoing ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation. The outcome was satisfactory, with complete correction of anemia and kidney function.

Keywords: ABO Blood-Group System; Blood Group Incompatibility; Erythropoietin; Kidney Transplantation; Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure