Antibody-mediated pure red cell aplasia (PRCA): ensuring future progress by collecting data from a registry

The recent emergence of antibody (Ab)-mediated pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) resulting from administration of certain erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) has heightened awareness of the potential for this disorder in patients receiving ESAs for anaemia associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The Spanish Society of Nephrology sponsored an independent registry for analysis of patients who developed epoetin-induced, Ab-mediated PRCA in Spain. Twelve patients from 11 regional hospitals were included in the Spanish PRCA registry from November 2000 to December 2002 that met the criteria for Ab-mediated PRCA. Patients were reported using a standardized form specifically developed for PRCA, and serum samples were analysed in a central laboratory at Reina Sofia University Hospital in Cordoba, Spain. The characteristics of these patients, their serological and haematological results, and the outcomes of immunosuppressive therapies are presented. The Spanish PRCA registry serves as a model for establishing an independent global PRCA registry sponsored by the various nephrology societies in European Union countries, and elsewhere and coordinated by key investigators from the respective countries.