Hemolytic Anemia: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment Explained

Hemolytic Anemia: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment Explained

Question. Define and classify anemia. Discuss clinical features, investigation, and treatment of hemolytic anemia.
Answer.

It is defined as an acute disease marked by a deficiency or absolute lack of granulocytic WBCs, i.e., neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils.

Hemolytic Anemia Clinical Manifestations

• Females are more commonly affected than males
• Early manifestations of agranulocytosis may be in the form of sore throat or pain.
• There may be fever going up to 130°F, sometimes coming with rigour chills, body ache and pain and extreme degree of prostration.
• In a large number of cases ulceromembranous lesions appear on the  throat, tonsils, gum, tongue, and genitalia
• These are often covered with grayish black exudates and may become gangrenous.
• Lymph glands are generally cervical groups, and in some cases, there are generalized lymphadenopathy
• The liver and spleen may become enlarged.
• As the disease progresses, severe toxemia develops, and the patient may go into shock.

Hemolytic Anemia: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Hemolytic anemia is a reduction in a number of circulating red cells from there premature destruction.

Hemolytic Anemia Etiological Classification

1. Acquired or Extracorpuscular

1. Immunohemolytic anemia:

• Autoimmunohemolytic anemia
• Warm antibody autoimmune hemolytic anemia
• Cold antibody autoimmune hemolytic anemia
• Drug-induced immunohemolytic anemia
• Iso immune hemolytic anaemia.

2. Mechanical trauma: Micro­angiopathic hemolytic anemia

3. Direct toxic effect: Malaria, bacteria, infection and other agents

4. Acquired red cell membrane abnormalities: Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.

5. Splenomegaly.

2. Hereditary or Intra corpuscular

1. Abnormalities ofred cell membrane:

• Hereditary spherocytosis
• Hereditary elliptocytosis
• Hereditary stomatocytosis.

2. Disorders of red cell interior:

• Red cell enzyme defect:
• Defects in HMP shunt: G6PD deficiency
• Defects in glycolytic pathway: Pyruvate kinase deficiency.

3. Disorders of hemoglobin:

• Structurally abnormal hemoglobin, sickle syndrome and other hemoglobinopathies.
• Reduced globin chain synthesis: Thalassemias.

Causes of Hemolytic Anemia and Symptoms

Hemolytic Anemia  Clinical Features

• There is presence of high fever, toxemia, marked*prostration, shock and hemoglobinuria
• Acute renal failure may develop
• Chronic form includes jaundice varying from mild to severe form, mongoloid faces, splenomegaly, chronic leg ulcers and pigment stones in gallbladder.