Faculty Collaboration Database

Lack of efficacy of pyridoxine (vitamin B6) treatment in acquired idiopathic sideroblastic anaemia, including refractory anaemia with ring sideroblasts. Eur J Haematol 2011 Jun;86(6):512-6

Date

03/11/2011

Pubmed ID

21388451

DOI

10.1111/j.1600-0609.2011.01604.x

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-79956000140 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   4 Citations

Abstract

Pyridoxine, or vitamin B6, is commonly used to treat acquired idiopathic sideroblastic anaemia (AISA, including refractory anaemia with ring sideroblasts), but the efficacy of this therapy in an unselected AISA population (i.e. patients without confirmed ALAS2 or other pyridoxine-responsive germline mutations) has not been established. We reviewed clinical data from 231 patients with AISA and found that 42% of 203 evaluable patients had been treated with pyridoxine. Only 6.8% of pyridoxine-treated patients experienced a haemoglobin improvement (≥ 1.5 g/dL) meeting 2006 International Working Group for Myelodysplastic Syndromes standardised response criteria. As some patients received combination therapy with erythropoietin or other agents, improvement could be attributed to pyridoxine monotherapy in only one patient (1.4%). Smaller, less meaningful increments in haemoglobin levels of 0.5 g/dL were observed in 13.5% of patients. Response to therapy did not correlate with International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) risk group or multilineage vs unilineage dysplasia. New symptomatic peripheral neuropathy was noted in 2.3% of patients treated with pyridoxine. In this large series of unselected patients with sideroblastic anaemia, pyridoxine therapy was ineffective and was associated with a risk of adverse effects. Pyridoxine therapy should be reserved for patients with known or suspected pyridoxine-responsive mutations.

Author List

Baumann Kreuziger LM, Wolanskyj AP, Hanson CA, Steensma DP

Author

Lisa M. Baumann Kreuziger MD Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

5-Aminolevulinate Synthetase
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Anemia, Refractory
Anemia, Sideroblastic
Female
Hemoglobins
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Mutation
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases
Prognosis
Pyridoxine
Retrospective Studies
Treatment Failure
Treatment Outcome