TY - JOUR T1 - Lessons of the month 1: Polytrauma in a geriatric patient resulting in reactivation of cytomegalovirus infection and secondary cold agglutinin disease-induced haemolytic anaemia JF - Clinical Medicine JO - Clin Med SP - 433 LP - 435 DO - 10.7861/clinmed.2020-0176 VL - 20 IS - 4 AU - Thomas Stockdale AU - Tom Hosack AU - Cameron Griffiths AU - Amit KJ Mandal AU - Constantinos G Missouris Y1 - 2020/07/01 UR - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/20/4/433.abstract N2 - 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. ER -