Corticosteroid-responsive pure red cell aplasia in rheumatoid arthritis and its association with pregnancy: A case report

Pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) often occurs secondary to drug therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, idiopathic PRCA in RA is very rare. Though different immunosuppressive therapies have been tried in the past with variable responses, there has been no case report in adults of favourable response to corticosteroids alone. We report a rare case of PRCA in RA, which responded to steroid therapy. Subsequently, the patient relapsed twice, during the first trimester of consecutive pregnancies. The association of PRCA with RA and pregnancy is discussed.