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Start free with EleplanHeavy chain disease
ORPHA:86864Disease
Also called HCD
What it is
Heavy-chain diseases (HCDs) are rare monoclonal lymphoplasma-cell proliferative disorders involving B cells and are characterized by the synthesis of truncated heavy chains without associated light chains.
Key facts
- Prevalence
- <1 / 1 000 000 (annual incidence, Europe)
- Age of onset
- Adult
- Classified as
- Disease
Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.
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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