Autoimmune hemolytic anemia

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
Other namesAutoimmune haemolytic anaemia
SpecialtyHematology Edit this on Wikidata

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is an autoimmune disorder which occurs when antibodies directed against the person's own red blood cells (RBCs) cause them to burst (lyse), leading to an insufficient number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells in circulation (anemia). The lifetime of the RBCs is reduced from the normal 100–120 days to just a few days in serious cases.[1][2] The intracellular components of the RBCs are released into the circulating blood and into tissues, leading to some of the characteristic symptoms of this condition. The antibodies are usually directed against high-incidence antigens, therefore they also commonly act on allogenic RBCs (RBCs originating from outside the person themselves, e.g. in the case of a blood transfusion).[3] AIHA is a relatively rare condition, with an incidence of 5–10 cases per 1 million persons per year in the warm-antibody type and 0.45 to 1.9 cases per 1 million persons per year in the cold-antibody type.[4] Autoimmune hemolysis might be a precursor of later onset systemic lupus erythematosus.[5]

The terminology used in this disease is somewhat ambiguous. Although MeSH uses the term "autoimmune hemolytic anemia",[6] some sources prefer the term "immunohemolytic anemia" so drug reactions can be included in this category.[7][8] The National Cancer Institute considers "immunohemolytic anemia", "autoimmune hemolytic anemia", and "immune complex hemolytic anemia" to all be synonyms.[9]

  1. ^ Shoenfield, Y; et al. (2008). Diagnostic Criteria in Autoimmune Disease. Humana Press.
  2. ^ Sawitsky A, Ozaeta PB (June 1970). "Disease-associated autoimmune hemolytic anemia". Bull N Y Acad Med. 46 (6): 411–26. PMC 1749710. PMID 5267234.
  3. ^ Gehrs BC, Friedberg RC (April 2002). "Autoimmune hemolytic anemia". Am. J. Hematol. 69 (4): 258–71. doi:10.1002/ajh.10062. PMID 11921020. S2CID 22547733.
  4. ^ Berentsen, Sigbjørn; Barcellini, Wilma (7 October 2021). "Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemias". New England Journal of Medicine. 385 (15): 1407–1419. doi:10.1056/NEJMra2033982. PMID 34614331. S2CID 238423559.
  5. ^ Kokori, SI; Ioannidis, JP; Voulgarelis, M; Tzioufas, AG; Moutsopoulos, HM (2000-02-15). "Autoimmune hemolytic anemia in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus". The American Journal of Medicine. 108 (3): 198–204. doi:10.1016/S0002-9343(99)00413-1. ISSN 0002-9343. PMID 10723973.
  6. ^ Autoimmune+hemolytic+anemia at the U.S. National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
  7. ^ Wright MS (1999). "Drug-induced hemolytic anemias: increasing complications to therapeutic interventions". Clin Lab Sci. 12 (2): 115–8. PMID 10387489.
  8. ^ Cotran, Ramzi S.; Kumar, Vinay; Fausto, Nelson; Nelso Fausto; Robbins, Stanley L.; Abbas, Abul K. (2005). Robbins and Cotran pathologic basis of disease. St. Louis, Mo: Elsevier Saunders. p. 636. ISBN 978-0-7216-0187-8.
  9. ^ "Definition of immunohemolytic anemia". NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms. Archived from the original on 15 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-07.