Prediction of immunoglobulin M reduction via therapeutic dose of simple plasma exchange and double filtration plasmapheresis using membrane separation in patients with hyperviscosity syndrome caused by Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia.

BACKGROUND

Plasma exchange (PE) and double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) are known as effective treatment options for hyperviscosity syndrome (HVS) caused by Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. Nonetheless, few data are available for the relation between the prescribed dose of apheresis and the reduction rate of target molecule immunoglobulin M (IgM), especially in the modality using membrane separation.

OBJECTIVES

This study was conducted to establish a model to predict the IgM reduction rate by the dose of simple PE and DFPP using membrane separation in patients with HVS and to compare the consumption of albumin between PE and DFPP.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed data of total 17 sessions of PE and DFPP with various therapeutic doses performed for five patients at our institution. We used linear regression analysis to examine the relation between the ratio of processed plasma volume to estimated circulating plasma volume (X) and the reduction rate of IgM (Y).

RESULTS

Regression analysis revealed that Y is expressed by X as the following equation: Y = 0.35X + 0.095. The total usage of albumin for replacement fluid was lower in DFPP than in PE (21.5 g vs 150 g per session), although the treatment efficacies of both modalities are similar.

CONCLUSION

The dose of PE and DFPP using membrane separation can predict IgM reduction rate in the HVS patients. Predicted IgM reduction rates based on our model are lower than those calculated using a known theoretical model. In terms of the amount of use of albumin, DFPP is preferred to PE.