[Clinical Analysis of 25 Cases of Acquired Hemophilia A in a Single Center].

Objective: To explore the diagnosis and treatment of acquired hemophilia A (AHA) based on the analysis of clinical data.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical manifestations, laboratory characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of 25 patients diagnosed with AHA who were admitted to the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University.

Results: Among all patients, 11 cases had secondary factors, including 5 cases of autoimmune diseases, 3 cases of pregnancy-related disease, 1 case of pemphigoid, 1 case of Graves' disease, and 1 case of monoclonal gammaglobulinemia of unknown significance (MGUS). The bleeding sites include the skin, mucous membrane, muscle, joint cavity and brain tissue. Twenty-three patients were treated with prednisone combined with cyclophosphamide (CP regimen), one patient with rituximab combined with cyclophosphamide because of femoral head necrosis, and one case with rituximab monotherapy because of gastrointestinal bleeding after prednisone treatment. Among them, 23 cases achieved complete remission (CR), 2 cases were partial remission (PR), and 8 cases relapsed after CR. All of 10 patients including 2 cases with PR and 8 relapsed cases after CR were treated with rituximab. At last, 8 patients achieved CR, and 2 patients (both were patients with recurrence after first CR) achieved PR. These two patients achieving PR were treated with low-dose rituximab combined with bortezomib (RB regimen). One patient reached CR after 4 cycles and the other reached CR after 6 cycles of RB regimen. After CR, 4 of the 10 patients treated with rituximab received maintenance therapy with rituximab monotherapy for 1.5 to 2 years, in which, none of them relapsed. Among the 6 patients who did not receive maintenance therapy, 4 patients relapsed after CR, and the median time to relapse was 15 months. Eight patients treated with CP regimen developed common infections, and two patients treated with rituximab developed severe pneumonia. All 25 patients survived until the end of follow-up.

Conclusion: Skin ecchymosis, mucous hemorrhage and muscle hematoma are the most common hemorrhagic manifestations in AHA, and joint hemorrhage and cerebral hemorrhage can also occur. CP regimen is the preferred option of first-line therapy for AHA. Rituximab can be used for patients with steroid contraindication or who failed to respond to the above therapy or relapsed after effective treatment, and maintenance therapy is recommended to reduce the risk of recurrence. Meanwhile, close attention should be paid to the occurrence of infection events during rituximab treatment. Rituximab in combination with bortezomib can also be used in patients with refractory or relapsing AHA.