Who is affected by Castleman disease?

Who is affected by Castleman disease?

Castleman disease can affect people of any age. But the average age of people diagnosed with unicentric Castleman disease is 35. Most people with the multicentric form are in their 50s and 60s. The multicentric form is also slightly more common in men than in women.

Is there a cure for Castleman disease?

Unicentric Castleman disease can be cured by surgically removing the diseased lymph node. If the lymph node is in your chest or abdomen — which is often the case — major surgery may be required. If surgical removal isn’t possible, medication may be used to shrink the lymph node.

Is Castleman disease fatal?

Castleman Disease Complications Castleman disease can increase your risk of cancers such as Kaposi sarcoma or lymphoma. Because it affects your lymph nodes, which are part of your immune system, MCD might hurt your body’s ability to fight infections. These can turn serious or even deadly.

What is the life expectancy of someone with Castleman’s disease?

Most patients with unicentric Castleman disease (UCD) do very well with treatment. The average length of survival after UCD diagnosis is greater than 10 years, and life expectancy is usually not changed by UCD.

What is a Castleman disease?

A rare disorder in which benign (not cancer) growths form in lymph node tissue. There are two main ways that Castleman disease occurs: localized (unicentric) and multicentric. Unicentric Castleman disease affects only one group of lymph nodes in one part of the body, usually in the chest or abdomen.

Is Castleman disease contagious?

Although the HHV-8 virus is contagious, the vast majority of HHV-8+ patients will not develop Castleman disease. All cases of UCD and idiopathic MCD have an unknown cause. There are no known risk factors; there is no evidence of any food, lifestyle, or environmental exposure associated with these diseases.

What is Unicentric Castleman disease?

Unicentric Castleman disease (UCD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder that manifests typically as proliferation of a single lymph node or region of lymph nodes. Histologically, hyaline vascular variant is found in a majority of UCDs. UCD commonly presents in younger patient populations.

What are the signs and symptoms of Castleman disease?

Signs of multicentric Castleman disease (MCD) include:

• Fever.
• Night sweats.
• Fatigue (extreme tiredness)
• Appetite and weight loss.
• Abnormally large lymph nodes, typically in the neck, armpit, collarbone, and groin.
• Enlarged spleen or liver.
• Anemia (low amount of red blood cells)

What disease affects the lymph nodes?

Viral infections like measles, German measles (rubella), glandular fever, HIV AIDS etc. may also cause lymphadenopathy of all the lymph nodes. Some conditions like rheumatoid arthritis affect the immunity and may lead to swollen lymph nodes.