Neonatal management of symptomatic transplacental cryoglobulinaemia

This study reports the first case of symptomatic placental transfer of cryoglobulins and discusses the potential pathogenic processes and the basic guidelines for neonatal management. A 32-y-old woman was affected by essential type I cryoglobulinaemia and displayed the cold-triggered cutaneous symptoms of the disease due to a monoclonal immunoglobulin G (IgG) cryoglobulin. She gave birth to healthy dizygotic twins who were placed in incubators immediately after birth and did not show any cutaneous or visceral lesion in the first 2 d. Cyanotic macules appeared on the hand and foot of one of the newborns when they were removed from the incubators. The same monoclonal IgG-lambda cryoglobulin was identified in the two newborns' cord blood and in the mother's serum. The skin lesions disappeared within 1 wk as both twins were transiently replaced in incubators. No recurrence of skin lesions was observed even at room temperature and, 6 mo later, both twins were healthy and their clinical examination was normal.

To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of placental transfer of cryoglobulins and the first description of any neonatal effect. Neonates born to mothers suffering from IgG cryoglobulinaemia should be protected against cold to avoid precipitation of the pathogenic cryoglobulins, until spontaneous resolution.