[Sustained complete remission for one year following low-dose rituximab therapy for chronic autoimmune neutropenia]

A 78-year-old male with a 5-year history of neutropenia was admitted to our hospital with high fever. Peripheral blood and bone marrow findings showed severe granulocytic hypoplasia. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor and steroid pulse therapy did not improve the clinical conditions at all, and severe sepsis persisted. After he was diagnosed with autoimmune neutropenia by detection of anti-neutrophil antibody in sera, low-dose infusion of rituximab was performed. Neutrophil count promptly increased and normalized one month after the start of treatment. He has remained in remission for 1 year. Compared with the standard dose, low-dose rituximab therapy is promising for the treatment of chronic autoimmune neutropenia because of the lower cost as well as the lower incidence of adverse reactions.