PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Thomas Stockdale
AU  - Tom Hosack
AU  - Cameron Griffiths
AU  - Amit KJ Mandal
AU  - Constantinos G Missouris
TI  - Polytrauma in a geriatric patient resulting in reactivation of cytomegalovirus infection and secondary cold agglutinin disease-induced haemolytic anaemia
AID  - 10.7861/clinmed.2020-0176
DP  - 2020 Jun 17
TA  - Clinical Medicine
PG  - clinmed.2020-0176
4099  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/early/2020/06/17/clinmed.2020-0176.short
4100  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/early/2020/06/17/clinmed.2020-0176.full
AB  - Haemolysis is a rare but serious complication of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, described mostly in immunocompromised patients, the pathogenesis of which is yet to be fully elucidated. We describe a case of Coombs-positive haemolytic anaemia in an older Caucasian immunocompetent woman after polytrauma, resulting from suspected reactivation of CMV infection and secondary cold agglutinin disease. Clinicians should consider CMV infection in the differential diagnosis of haemolytic anaemia in immunocompetent older adults who are admitted with significant musculoskeletal trauma. Early treatment with B-cell depletion therapy to halt cold agglutinin production can be life-saving.