To investigate the long-term effect of B-cell depletion therapy with Rituximab (RTX) alone as rescue therapy in primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS) patients with severe thrombocytopenia.
We retrospectively retrieved data from patients who met the following inclusion criteria: (a) persistent antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) positivity and fulfilled the Sydney criteria for PAPS (b) presented with severe thrombocytopenia (platelets <50,000/mm
This retrospective study included 6 consecutive female PAPS patients [median age 49.5 (range 38-66)] who presented with severe thrombocytopenia (platelets <50,000/mm
In one of the longest-term observational (median 43 months) studies, sustained clinical remission of severe thrombocytopenia without immunosuppressive maintenance therapy was obtained by RTX alone in patients with PAPS and severe thrombocytopenia intolerant or refractory to conventional therapy.