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Start free with EleplanAlpha-heavy chain disease
ORPHA:100025Clinical subtype
Also called Immunoproliferative small intestinal disease · Mediterranean lymphoma · Alpha-HCD · IPSID
What it is
A type of HCD characterized by the production of incomplete monoclonal alpha-heavy chains without associated light chains. Alpha-HCD is considered to be a subtype of immunoproliferative small intestinal disease (IPSID). The clinical presentation includes chronic diarrhea with evidence of malabsorption.
Key facts
- Age of onset
- Adolescent, Adult
- Classified as
- Clinical subtype
Recorded for the broader condition
- Prevalence
- <1 / 1 000 000 (annual incidence, Europe)Heavy chain disease
Orphanet records these for the broader condition rather than for this specific form. They are a starting point, not a figure for this subtype — subtypes often differ, and some are defined by being rarer than the condition they sit under.
Signs and symptoms
These ranges are how often a sign appears across everyone diagnosed, not a prediction for one person — most people have some of these and not others. Orphanet also records findings that are specifically absent in this disease; those are in the data but not listed here.
ICD-10 codes
ICD-10 has no distinct code for most rare diseases, so many are filed under the nearest available one. A shared code identifies the group, not this disease — the ORPHAcode above is what identifies it.
Cross-references
Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.
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