Journal Article

CANOMAD responding to weekly treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg)

Keir, Geoff, Krenn, Martin, Wieshmann, Udo Carl

2014

Overview

A 48-year-old man presented with numbness in fingers and diplopia 1 week after a flu-like illness. He made a full recovery but 8 years later developed progressive and disabling sensory ataxia. He had superimposed acute flare-ups with numbness, double vision and ptosis, all following infections. A blood test showed antidisialosyl antibodies including GD1b, GD3, GT1b and GQ1b in keeping with the diagnosis of chronic ataxic neuropathy, ophthalmoplegia, IgM paraprotein, cold agglutinins and antidisialosyl antibodies (CANOMAD). Initial treatment with monthly courses of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) 0.4 g/kg/day for 5 days every 4 weeks helped temporarily but there were marked disabling fluctuations of symptoms. With IVIg 0.6 g/kg/day weekly his symptoms are stable. He remains mobile and has no eye symptoms without need for any other medication. This case demonstrates that weekly IVIg infusions instead of one 5-day course monthly may be able to avoid fluctuations of symptoms in CANOMAD.

• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group Ltd,BMJ Publishing Group LTD,BMJ Publishing Group
• Subject: 51-70 years / Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune - diagnosis / Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune - therapy / Antibodies / Ataxia / Ataxia - diagnosis / Ataxia - therapy / Blood tests / Diagnosis, Differential / Disability / Europe (West) / Guillain-Barre syndrome / Humans / Immunoglobulins / Immunoglobulins, Intravenous - administration & dosage / Immunoglobulins, Intravenous - therapeutic use / Male / Medical imaging / Middle Aged / Ophthalmoplegia - diagnosis / Ophthalmoplegia - therapy / Patients / Rare Disease / Treatment Outcome / White