Hemolytic Anemia Case Studies

This clinical case involves a blood disorder called the autoimmune hemolytic anemia. This disorder occurs when the body immune system malfunctions and makes antibodies that act against the cells. What could cause the body’s immune system to turn against its own red blood cells? Sometimes the cause is unknown, but at times the destruction occurs for no known reason within the autoimmune hemolytic anemia disorder. The disorder is also called idiopathic autoimmune hemolytic anemia since the exact cause of this disease cannot be determined and it is the primary disease. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia also can become secondary to another disease, such as lupus and develop in association with the disease. An autoimmune disease is caused by antibodies produced against substances naturally present in the body. Hemolytic is a phrase relating to the destruction of red blood cells, and anemia is a condition marked by insufficiency of red blood cells or of hemoglobin in the blood. Within autoimmune hemolytic anemia, the red blood cells are being destroyed faster than they are being replaced by the red bone marrow. Also, the malfunction in the immune system involves substances that are produced within the body that causes its own corpse to destroy red blood cells as if they were substances foreign to the body, resulting …show more content…
In the cold autoimmune hemolytic anemia type, the antoantibodies become most active and attack red blood cells only at temperatures well below normal body temperature. Warm antibody autoimmune hemolytic anemia types are more common because IgG autoantibodies are involved in this disorder which reacts best with red blood cells at 37°C. The autoantibodies attach to and destroy red blood cells at a temperature equal to or above the normal body temperatures. By being able to determine which type of anemia a patient has, can determine the best treatment for the