Successful bypass surgery for esophageal carcinoma under adequate factor XIII/13 replacement therapy in a case of intractable autoimmune hemorrhaphilia due to anti-Factor XIII/13 antibodies

Acquired factor XIII deficiency: A scoping review

Acquired factor XIII (FXIII) deficiency is a very rare haemostatic defect that can be either immune (rare development of an autoantibody targeting FXIII epitopes) or nonimmune (diminished synthesis or increased consumption of the same factor). The aim of this study is to review the symptomatology, the diagnostic method used, but above all to determine the most frequently used and potentially most effective treatment for acquired FXIII deficiency. PubMed, Medline, embase/Ovid databases were queried from 1 January 2012 to 3 April 2022. Data extraction was performed using the keywords 'Acquired FXIII deficiency.' The systematic search identified 474 records. After screening titles and abstracts, only 36 articles met the eligibility criteria. The mean age of all patients was 57.6 [range, 1-84] years. The male to female ratio was 35 : 25. The majority of cases described were due an autoimmune reaction with antibody production (24 manuscripts), only six manuscripts described consumption. The most prevalent symptoms were local haematoma (31). Six cases died, two from haemorrhagic shock, two from haemorrhagic stroke, one from respiratory distress, and 1 from septic shock. Given the patient outcomes, this review confirms that the most appropriate treatment consists of one of the following elements or a combination of several of these elements: FXIII concentrate, corticosteroids, cyclophosphamide, rituximab for autoimmune cases, and FXIII concentrate supplementation only in case of consumption.

Auto- and alloantibodies against factor XIII: laboratory diagnosis and clinical consequences

Acquired FXIII deficiencies caused by autoantibodies against FXIII subunits represent rare but very severe bleeding diatheses. Alloantibodies in FXIII-deficient patients also cause life-threatening bleeding complications, but they develop extremely rarely. In this review we provide an overview of the diagnosis and classification of anti-FXIII antibodies and analyze 48 patients with autoimmune FXIII deficiency and four additional FXIII-deficient patients who developed anti-FXIII alloantibody. The patients were collected from peer-reviewed publications from which relevant data could be extracted. With the exception of two cases the antibodies were directed against FXIII-A. The difficulties in the diagnosis of FXIII deficiency in the presence of anti-FXIII antibodies are discussed and a scheme for the functional classification of the anti-FXIII antibodies is recommended. The three main categories are neutralizing and non-neutralizing antibodies and antibodies with combined effect. The methods being used for detecting and quantifying the inhibitory effect on FXIII activation and on the transglutaminase activity of activated FXIII are summarized and techniques for the classification of neutralizing anti-FXIII antibodies are outlined. The importance of clearance studies in these cases is emphasized. Binding assays, useful for the identification of non-neutralizing and combined type antibodies, were collected from the literature and their informative power is demonstrated by examples. The most frequently occurring bleeding symptoms in patients with anti-FXIII antibodies were soft tissue bleeding; intracranial bleedings also occurred, but less frequently than in inherited FXIII deficiency. Treatment of such patients is extremely challenging; the main aim should be eradication of the antibody.

Autoimmune acquired factor XIII deficiency due to anti-factor XIII/13 antibodies: A summary of 93 patients

Autoimmune acquired factor XIII (F13) deficiency or autoimmune hemophilia-like disease (hemorrhaphilia) resulted from the generation of anti-F13 antibodies (AH13) is a severe bleeding disorder that occurs mainly in the elderly. Although rare, the number of patients diagnosed with AH13 has recently increased. To improve understanding of this disease, the author summarized 93 ever reported/diagnosed AH13 cases. About 50% of cases were idiopathic. In the remaining half of the patients, autoimmune diseases and malignancies were the most common underlying diseases. Intramuscular and subcutaneous bleeding were the most frequently reported symptoms. Hemorrhage was the cause of death in 13 patients. In 4 patients, the diagnosis was established after hemorrhagic death. Therefore, physicians/hematologists must raise the awareness of AH13 as a life-threatening disease. Most patients were treated with F13 concentrates to arrest bleeding and with prednisolone and cyclophosphamide to eradicate anti-F13 autoantibodies. AH13 cases tend to become chronic and intractable and require close follow-up over an extended period.