Clinical analysis of 78 cases of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria diagnosed in the past ten years

Objective To learn more about the clinical and laboratory features of patients with paroxy smal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) diagnosed in the past ten years. Methods Clinical and laboratory data for 78 cases of PNH diagnosed from January 1990 to November 1999 in our hospital were analyzed retrospectively. Results In comparison with PNH cases reported in the 1980s, the newly diagnosed PNH cas es showed the following features: (1) older age of disease onset (from 27 to 34 years); more female cases (from 18. 5% to 38. 5%); more cases without hemoglobin uria (from 24. 2% to 38. 5%). (2) No positive family hereditary history. (3) Bone marrow dysplasia, abnormal karyotype and negative sister chromatid differen tiation were found in 19. 2%, 12. 2% and 8. 9% of the PNH patients, respectively . 12. 3% of the patients had bone marrow hypoplasia, and most of them had no he moglobinuria. Ham’s tests were negative in about 34. 2% of the cases. CD55 and CD59 on peripheral blood cells were deficient in 100. 0% of the cases, suggesti ng that CD55 and CD59 tests can improve the diagnosis of PNH. (4) Adrenocortic al hormone was effective in 83. 8% of the patients, 54. 2% of whom relapsed with in one year. Eight refractory and relapsed patients were treated with low dose chemotherapy (MP therapy: Melphalan 2-6 mg·d; Prednisone 0. 5 mg·kg(-1) ·d(-1) ). Five (62. 5%) of them showed positive responses. Bone marrow failure and other side effects were not serious in this group of patients Conclusions PNH, an acquired blood disease seen more often among adult males, can be diagno sed more sensitively by hemocyte member CD55 and CD59 tests and treated more eff ectively with adrenocortical hormone or low dose chemotherapy.

Clinical analysis of 78 cases of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria diagnosed in the past ten years