What is Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia?

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia is not a single disorder; rather it is a term used to refer to several blood disorders in which the immune system produces autoantibodies that treat the body's own red blood cells like it would foreign invaders. In other words, the antibodies attack these vital cells. This is why autoimmune hemolytic anemia might be thought of as a malfunction in the body that literally causes it to attack itself. There are two forms of this group of circulatory system disorders: warm antibody and cold antibody.

When a person has warm antibody autoimmune hemolytic anemia, the antibodies attach themselves to and attack and kill red blood cells only when body temperature is normal or higher than normal. Cold antibody autoimmune hemolytic anemia involves the attack and destruction of red blood cells by antibodies only when body temperature is below normal. Both types of this group of disorders are uncommon, but they can develop at any age, and they are seen in females more often than in males. The cause of these blood disorders usually cannot be determined. When the cause is unknown, the proper term to indicate this is "idiopathic autoimmune hemolytic anemia."

Other diseases as well as prescription medications can provoke these autoimmune diseases. For example, use of certain antibiotics, such as penicillin, is believed to have caused some people to develop this condition, which is why the use of all-natural antibiotics is often preferred — they don't pose such a risk. The disease lupus erythematosus, among other diseases, also can lead to the development of circulatory system disorders, or these disorders can occur with the disease itself.

The group of blood disorders can suddenly occur, or they can gradually develop over short or long periods of time. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia can also cease suddenly. It can gradually disappear over time or it can remain and worsen to the point of becoming chronic and life-threatening.

There are various degrees to which these disorders affect each person. If the number of red blood cells destroyed is low and the destruction is gradual, the person might experience only a few symptoms of anemia, or he or she might not have symptoms at all. Rapid and significant destruction of red blood cells, however, will produce some signs and symptoms. Mild jaundice can occur, and the spleen could enlarge, producing a sense of fullness in the abdomen.