Autoimmune homiletic anemia?!
Question: Autoimmune homiletic anemia!?
does anyone else out there have this anemia!? I have been diagnosed with this and going through lots of tests to find out what is causing it!. Maybe you can shed some new light on this!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
Trying to make this understandable for the non-Hematology specialist, I've modified a discussion from the reference cited below :
There are two main types of autoimmune hemolytic anemia
- - Warm Antibody Hemolytic and Cold Antibody Hemolytic
The autoimmune hemolytic anemias are rare disorders characterized by the premature destruction ("hemolysis") of red blood cells at a rate faster than they can be replaced!. Acquired hemolytic anemias are non-genetic in origin!. Idiopathic (which means we don't know what causes them) acquired autoimmune diseases occur when the body's natural immune defenses (the lymphocytes and antibodies) destroy normal cells for no known reason!. Usually red blood cells have a life span of approximately 120 days before being removed by the spleen!. The severity of this type of anemia is determined by the life span of the red blood cell and by the rate at which these cells are replaced by the bone marrow!.
Doctors are able to determine quite accurately (Coombs test) whether or not red blood cells are being coated with antibodies and attacked as an "enemy" - leading to autoimmune destruction!.
Acquired autoimmune hemolytic anemia is a disorder that occurs in individuals who previously had a normal red blood cell system!. The disorder may occur as the result of, or in conjunction with, some other medical condition, in which case it is "secondary" to another disorder!. Less commonly, it occurs alone without an identified precipitating factor!.
In warm antibody hemolytic anemia, the self-generated antibodies (autoantibodies) attach themselves and cause the destruction of the red blood cells at normal body temperature!. In contrast, in the cases of cold antibody hemolytic anemia, the self-generated antibodies (autoantibodies) attach themselves and cause the destruction of the red blood cells at temperatures below normal body temperature!. For more information search "Warm Antibody Hemolytic Anemia" and/or Cold Antibody Hemolytic Anemia!.
http://www!.cigna!.com/healthinfo/nord771!.!.!.!.
It is much more complicated than this!. You should be seeing a Heme/Onc specialist to evaluate this thoroughly!. Be sure to ask questions when you see you physicians!. They know the specifics of your special case!. I always enjoyed explaining these things to my patients - which is why I do this now that I've retired from medical practice!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
There are two main types of autoimmune hemolytic anemia
- - Warm Antibody Hemolytic and Cold Antibody Hemolytic
The autoimmune hemolytic anemias are rare disorders characterized by the premature destruction ("hemolysis") of red blood cells at a rate faster than they can be replaced!. Acquired hemolytic anemias are non-genetic in origin!. Idiopathic (which means we don't know what causes them) acquired autoimmune diseases occur when the body's natural immune defenses (the lymphocytes and antibodies) destroy normal cells for no known reason!. Usually red blood cells have a life span of approximately 120 days before being removed by the spleen!. The severity of this type of anemia is determined by the life span of the red blood cell and by the rate at which these cells are replaced by the bone marrow!.
Doctors are able to determine quite accurately (Coombs test) whether or not red blood cells are being coated with antibodies and attacked as an "enemy" - leading to autoimmune destruction!.
Acquired autoimmune hemolytic anemia is a disorder that occurs in individuals who previously had a normal red blood cell system!. The disorder may occur as the result of, or in conjunction with, some other medical condition, in which case it is "secondary" to another disorder!. Less commonly, it occurs alone without an identified precipitating factor!.
In warm antibody hemolytic anemia, the self-generated antibodies (autoantibodies) attach themselves and cause the destruction of the red blood cells at normal body temperature!. In contrast, in the cases of cold antibody hemolytic anemia, the self-generated antibodies (autoantibodies) attach themselves and cause the destruction of the red blood cells at temperatures below normal body temperature!. For more information search "Warm Antibody Hemolytic Anemia" and/or Cold Antibody Hemolytic Anemia!.
http://www!.cigna!.com/healthinfo/nord771!.!.!.!.
It is much more complicated than this!. You should be seeing a Heme/Onc specialist to evaluate this thoroughly!. Be sure to ask questions when you see you physicians!. They know the specifics of your special case!. I always enjoyed explaining these things to my patients - which is why I do this now that I've retired from medical practice!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
My husband had this problem!. In his case his red blood cells weren't shaped quite normal but all was fine until he got a virus one day just from being run down!. His immune system kicked in to fight off the virus and since it didn't recognize the shape on the red cells, it started killing them off too at a fast rate making him anemic!. The Dr's!. would put him on prednisone and that medication would coat the red blood cells and kind of fool the body into not recognizing that there was anything wrong with them thus preventing them from getting killed off early!. He would be on a pretty high dose to start!. When the time came to start lowering the dose they would have to lower it so very slowly so the body doesn't notice the medication going down in dose!. The following web site explains it a little!. Good luck to you!. Be patient and they'll figure the best way to treat you as there are also other options depending on the cause!.
http://www!.webmd!.com/a-to-z-guides/anemi!.!.!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
http://www!.webmd!.com/a-to-z-guides/anemi!.!.!.Www@Answer-Health@Com