Hemolytic anemia occurs when red blood cells are destroyed faster than your bone marrow can make them. This can be caused by diseases, autoimmune disorders, or cancer. The treatment depends on the cause.
Red blood cells have the important mission of carrying oxygen from your lungs to your heart and throughout your entire body. Your bone marrow is responsible for making these red blood cells.
Hemolytic anemia can be extrinsic or intrinsic.
Extrinsic hemolytic
Extrinsic hemolytic anemia develops by several methods, such as when the spleen traps and destroys healthy red blood cells, or an autoimmune reaction occurs. It can also come from red blood cell destruction due to:
- infection
- tumors
- autoimmune disorders
- medication side effects
- leukemia
- lymphoma
Intrinsic hemolytic
Intrinsic hemolytic anemia develops when the red blood cells produced by your body don’t function properly. This condition is often inherited, such as in people with sickle cell anemia or thalassemia, who have abnormal hemoglobin.
Other times, an inherited metabolic abnormality can lead to this condition, such as in people with G6PD deficiency, or red blood cell membrane instability, such as hereditary spherocytosis.
Anyone of any age can develop hemolytic anemia.
It’s possible that a doctor may not be able to pinpoint the source of hemolytic anemia. However, several diseases, and even some medications, can cause this condition.
Underlying causes of extrinsic hemolytic anemia include:
- enlarged spleen
- infectious hepatitis
- Epstein-Barr virus
- typhoid fever
- E. coli toxin
- leukemia
- lymphoma
- tumors
- systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disorder
- Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, an autoimmune disorder
- HELLP syndrome (named for its characteristics, which include hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count)
In some instances, hemolytic anemia is the result of taking certain medications. This is known as drug-induced hemolytic anemia. Some examples of medications that could cause the condition are:
- acetaminophen (Tylenol)
- antibiotics, such as cephalexin, ceftriaxone, penicillin, ampicillin, or methicillin
- chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
- ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB)
- interferon alpha
- procainamide
- quinidine
- rifampin (Rifadin)
One of the most severe forms of hemolytic anemia is the kind caused by receiving a red blood cell transfusion of the wrong blood type.
Every person has a distinct blood type (A, B, AB, or O). If you receive an incompatible blood type, specialized immune proteins called antibodies will attack the foreign red blood cells. The result is an extremely fast destruction of red blood cells, which can be lethal. This is why healthcare providers need to carefully check blood types before giving blood.
Some causes of hemolytic anemia are temporary. Hemolytic anemia may be curable if a doctor can identify the underlying cause and treat it.
Because there are so many different causes of hemolytic anemia, each person can have different symptoms. However, there are some shared symptoms that many people experience when they have hemolytic anemia.
Some symptoms of hemolytic anemia are the same as those for other forms of anemia.
These common symptoms include:
- paleness of the skin
- fatigue
- fever
- confusion
- lightheadedness
- dizziness
- weakness or inability to do physical activity
Other common signs and symptoms that are seen in those with hemolytic anemia include:
- dark urine
- yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (jaundice)
- heart murmur
- increased heart rate
- enlarged spleen
- enlarged liver
Hemolytic disease of the newborn is a condition that occurs when a mother and baby have incompatible blood types, usually because of Rh incompatibility. Another name for this condition is erythroblastosis fetalis.
In addition to the ABO blood types (A, B, AB, and O) discussed earlier, Rh factor also figures in a person’s specific blood type: A person can be either negative or positive for Rh factor. Some examples include A positive, A negative, AB negative, and O positive.
If a mother has a negative Rh blood type and her baby’s father has a positive one, there’s a chance hemolytic disease of the newborn can occur if the baby’s red blood cells are then positive for Rh factor.
The effects of this are just like red blood cell transfusion reactions where there is an ABO mismatch. The mother’s body sees the baby’s blood type as “foreign” and could potentially attack the baby.
This condition is more likely to happen to a woman in her second pregnancy and thereafter. This is due to how the body builds its immunity.
In her first pregnancy, a mother’s immune system learns how to develop defenses against the red blood cells it sees as foreign. Doctors call this being sensitized to the different type of red blood cells.
Hemolytic disease of the newborn is a problem because the baby can become significantly anemic, which causes further complications. Treatments are available for this condition. They include red blood cell transfusions and a medication known as intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG).
Doctors can also prevent the condition from happening by giving a woman an injection known as a RhoGam shot. A woman may receive this shot around her 28th week of pregnancy, if she has Rh-negative blood and has not been sensitized to an Rh-positive fetus. If the baby is Rh positive, then at 72 hours after delivery, the Rh-negative mother will need a second dose of RhoGam.
(Video) Hemolytic Anemia
According to the University of Chicago, hemolytic anemia in children usually occurs after a viral illness. The causes are similar to those found in adults and include:
- infections
- autoimmune diseases
- cancers
- medications
- a rare syndrome known as Evans syndrome
Diagnosing hemolytic anemia often begins with a review of your medical history and symptoms. During the physical exam, your doctor will be checking for pale or yellowed skin. They may also press gently on different areas of your abdomen to check for tenderness, which could indicate an enlarged liver or spleen.
If a doctor suspects anemia, they’ll order diagnostic tests. These blood tests help to diagnose hemolytic anemia by measuring your:
- Bilirubin. This test measures the level of red blood cell hemoglobin that your liver has broken down and processed.
- Hemoglobin. This test indirectly reflects the amount of red blood cells you have circulating in your blood (by measuring the oxygen-carrying protein within your red blood cells)
- Liver function. This test measures the levels of proteins, liver enzymes, and bilirubin in your blood.
- Reticulocyte count. This test measures how many immature red blood cells, which over time mature into red blood cells, that your body is producing
If your doctor thinks your condition may be related to an intrinsic hemolytic anemia, they may have your blood samples viewed under a microscope to examine their shape and size.
Other tests include a urine test to look for the presence of red blood cell breakdown. In some cases, a doctor may order a bone marrow aspiration or biopsy. This test can provide information about how many red blood cells are being made and their shape.
How is hemolytic anemia treated?
(Video) Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia | Warm, Cold & Paroxysmal Cold Hemoglobinuria | Symptoms, Treatment
How is hemolytic anemia treated?
Treatment options for hemolytic anemia differ depending on the reason for anemia, severity of the condition, your age, your health, and your tolerance to certain medications.
Treatment options for hemolytic anemia may include:
- red blood cell transfusion
- IVIG
immunosuppressants , such as a corticosteroid- surgery
Red blood cell transfusion
A red blood cell transfusion is given to quickly increase your red blood cell count and to replace destroyed red blood cells with new ones.
IVIG
You may be given immunoglobulin intravenously in the hospital to blunt the body’s immune system if an immune process is leading to hemolytic anemia.
Corticosteroids
In the case of an extrinsic form of hemolytic anemia of autoimmune origin, you may be prescribed corticosteroids. They can reduce your immune system activity to help prevent red blood cells from being destroyed. Other immunosuppressants may be used to achieve the same goal.
Surgery
In severe cases, your spleen may need to be removed. The spleen is where red blood cells are destroyed. Removing the spleen can reduce how fast red blood cells are destroyed. This is usually used as an option in cases of immune hemolysis that don’t respond to corticosteroids or other immunosuppressants.
Hemolytic anemia can affect people of all ages and has numerous underlying causes. For some people, symptoms are mild and resolve with time and without treatment. Others may need care for the rest of their lives.
Seeking care when a person has early anemia symptoms can be the first step to feeling better in the long term.
FAQs
What is the most common cause of hemolytic anemia? ›
Two common causes of this type of anemia are sickle cell anemia and thalassemia. These conditions produce red blood cells that don't live as long as normal red blood cells.
How serious is hemolytic anemia? ›What happens if hemolytic anemia is not treated? Severe hemolytic anemia can lead to serious heart conditions, including arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm), cardiomyopathy and heart failure.
What medication is used for hemolytic anemia? ›Immune globulin (IVIG): An intravenous infusion that decreases the destruction of red blood cells. It is often used to treat autoimmune hemolytic anemia.
Who typically gets hemolytic anemia? ›When acquired autoimmune hemolytic anemia occurs from unknown causes, it affects twice as many women as men, specifically women under 50 years old. Cold antibody hemolytic anemia most commonly affects elderly persons, and warm antibody hemolytic anemia can affect anyone at any age.
Is hemolytic anemia a form of leukemia? ›Background: Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) might be associated with underlying hematological malignancies such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia. However, the association between AIHA and chronic myelogenous leukemia is extremely unusual.
What is the life expectancy of hemolytic anemia? ›One-year survival and median survival were, 82.7% and 9.8 years for primary AIHA, 69.1% and 3.3 years for secondary AIHA, and 85.5% and 8.8 years for CAD.
How long does it take to recover from hemolytic anemia? ›Recovering from haemolytic anaemia treatment does not take long. People can recover and get back into their normal lives after four to five weeks of treatment.
What cancers cause hemolytic anemia? ›The most frequently implicated tumors are gastric, breast, and lung carcinomas. However, other epithelial tumors, including squamous cell carcinomas, have been associated with hemolysis.
Who is most at risk for hemolytic anemia? ›- Been taking certain medicines.
- Infections such as: Mononucleosis. Atypical pneumonia.
- Certain cancers: Leukemia. ...
- Collagen-vascular (autoimmune) diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus.
- A family history of hemolytic disease.
Anemia is a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells provide oxygen to body tissues. Normally, red blood cells last for about 120 days in the body. In hemolytic anemia, red blood cells in the blood are destroyed earlier than normal.
How do people live with hemolytic anemia? ›
If you have cold-reactive autoimmune hemolytic anemia, stay away from cold temperatures. During cold weather, wear a hat, scarf, and a warm coat. When taking cold food out of the refrigerator or freezer, wear gloves. Turn down air conditioning or dress warmly while in air-conditioned spaces.
What vitamin is good for hemolytic anemia? ›Studies have reported that large amounts of vitamin E improve hemolytic anemia caused by a genetic deficiency of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). Hemolytic anemia refers to a category of anemia in which red blood cells become fragile and undergo premature death.
Can you survive hemolytic anemia? ›People who have mild hemolytic anemia may not need treatment, as long as the condition doesn't worsen. People who have severe hemolytic anemia usually need ongoing treatment. Severe hemolytic anemia can be fatal if it's not properly treated.
What viruses cause hemolytic anemia? ›The following lists some of the causes of extrinsic hemolytic anemia, also called autoimmune hemolytic anemia: Infections: hepatitis, cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), typhoid fever, E. coli, or streptococcus. Medications, such as penicillin, antimalaria medications, sulfa medications, or acetaminophen.
What autoimmune disease causes hemolytic anemia? ›The causes of autoimmune hemolytic anemia are poorly understood. It may be a primary disorder or secondary to an underlying illness, such as Epstein-Barr Virus, lymphoma, lupus, immunodeficiency disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, or ulcerative colitis.
What is an example of hemolytic anemia? ›Types of inherited hemolytic anemia include: sickle cell disease. thalassemia. red cell membrane disorders, such as hereditary spherocytosis, hereditary elliptocytosis and hereditary pyropoikliocytosis, hereditary stomatocytosis and hereditary xeocytosis.
Is hemolytic anemia an emergency? ›Hemolytic anemias can also be directly life threatening, such as in the warm autoimmune hemolytic anemias, where cardiovascular collapse can occur.
Is hemolytic disease fatal? ›Hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) is a blood disorder in a fetus or newborn infant. In some infants, it can be fatal. Normally, red blood cells (RBCs) last for about 120 days in the body.
What is the first line treatment for hemolytic anemia? ›Glucocorticoids, such as prednisone, are usually the first line of treatment in autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA). Consult a hematologist to individualize therapy and determine whether other forms of therapy are indicated in the treatment of AIHA. Taper glucocorticoids very gradually to avoid a relapse of hemolysis.
Does B12 help hemolytic anemia? ›Further work-up showed hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia due to a very low vitamin B12 level of 47 pg/mL, with his blood counts improving with vitamin B12 supplementation. The case points to the importance of thinking about vitamin deficiency as a cause of hemolysis to avoid unnecessary procedures.
What lab test confirms hemolytic anemia? ›
A test called a complete blood count (CBC) can help diagnose anemia and offer some hints to the type and cause of the problem. Important parts of the CBC include red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin, and hematocrit (HCT). These tests can identify the type of hemolytic anemia: Absolute reticulocyte count.
What triggers autoimmune hemolytic anemia? ›The causes of autoimmune hemolytic anemia are poorly understood. It may be a primary disorder or secondary to an underlying illness, such as Epstein-Barr Virus, lymphoma, lupus, immunodeficiency disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, or ulcerative colitis.
Can you recover from hemolytic anemia? ›Recovering from haemolytic anaemia treatment does not take long. People can recover and get back into their normal lives after four to five weeks of treatment.
What lab values indicate hemolytic anemia? ›Results that will help confirm hemolysis are an elevated reticulocyte count, increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), elevated unconjugated bilirubin, and decreased Haptoglobin. LDH is found intracellularly, therefore when RBCs rupture, this value increases. Haptoglobin binds free hemoglobin.
What color is urine in hemolytic anemia? ›They lead to hemolytic anemia, in which the urine has a deep red color. Hemolytic anemia is all forms of anemia in which red blood cells do not reach their normal lifespan.