Autoimmune diseases may also go into remission after treatment of HCL. Epidemiology
This disease is rare, with fewer than 1 in 10,000 people being diagnosed with HCL during their lives. Men are four to five times more likely to develop hairy cell leukemia than women. In the United States, the annual incidence is approximately 3 cases per 1,000,000 men each year, and 0.6 cases per 1,000,000 women each year.Most patients are white males over the age of 50, although it has been diagnosed in at least one teenager. It is less common in people of African and Asian descent compared to people of European descent. It does not appear to be hereditary, although occasional familial cases that suggest a predisposition have been reported, usually showing a common Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) type. Research directions
The Hairy Cell Leukemia Consortium was founded in 2008 to address researchers concerns about the long-term future of research on the disease. Partly because existing treatments are so successful, the field has attracted very few new researchers. In 2013 the Hairy Cell Leukemia Foundation was created when the Hairy Cell Leukemia Consortium and the Hairy Cell Leukemia Research Foundation joined. The HCLF is dedicated to improving outcomes for patients by advancing research into the causes and treatment of hairy cell leukemia, as well as by providing educational resources and comfort to all those affected by hairy cell leukemia.Three immunotoxin drugs have been studied in patients at the NIH National Cancer Institute in the U.S.:  BL22, HA22 and LMB-2.
Approximately 40% of the drug is bound with plasma albumin of healthy volunteers in a trial. This is also approximately close to patients with atrial fibrillation and flutter. Metabolism
Ibutilide has a high systemic plasma clearance that closes to the hepatic blood flow  (29mL/min/kg). Its metabolic pathway is via livers cytochrome P450 system by isoenzymes other than CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 by which the heptyl side chain of ibutilide is oxidized. With eight metabolites are detected in the urine, however, only one is an active metabolite that shares the similar electrophysiologic property of the Class III antiarrhythmic agents. The plasma concentration of this metabolite is only less than 10% of ibutilide. Excretion
After administration of ibutilide, it is quickly excreted by renal pathway with a half-life of approximately 6 hours. Approximately 82% of a 0.01 mg/kg dose is excreted in the urine during the trial. Among those, around 7% is excreted as unchanged drug. The remainder of the drug is excreted in feces (about 19%). Adverse effects and contraindications
Like other antiarrhythmics, ibutilide can lead to abnormal heart rhythms due to its ability to prolong the QT interval, which can lead to the potentially fatal abnormal heart rhythm known as torsades de pointes. Consequently, the drug is contraindicated in patients that are likely to develop abnormal heart rhythms; this includes persons that have had polymorphic ventricular tachycardia in the past, have a long QT interval, sick sinus syndrome, or a recent myocardial infarction, among others. Patient Information
This medication will be given intravenously for your heart disease.