Successful treatment of life-threatening Evans syndrome due to antiphospholipid antibody syndrome by rituximab-based regimen: a case with long-term follow-up.

An association of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome with antibodies directed against either phospholipids or plasma proteins strongly suggest that B-cell dysfunction may be involved in its pathogenesis. Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome with autoimmune cytopenias shows a poor response rate to conventional treatment with anticoagulants, glucocorticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents, intravenous immunoglobulin or plasmapheresis. We report a case of life-threatening antiphospholipid antibody syndrome with Evans syndrome receiving successful multimodal treatment including anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab with long-term follow-up.