Sunday, February, 12, 2012

Hemolytic anemia

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Anemia - hemolytic


Symptoms
  • Chills
  • Dark urine
  • Enlarged spleen
  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Pale skin color (pallor)
  • Rapid heart rate
  • Shortness of breath
  • Yellow skin color (jaundice)

Signs and tests

These are tests for red blood cell destruction (hemolysis). Specific tests can identify the types of hemolytic anemia. They are usually performed when hemolysis is suspected or has been determined.

  • Absolute reticulocyte count
  • Free hemoglobin in the serum or urine
  • Hemosiderin in the urine
  • Red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin, and hematocrit (HCT)
  • Serum haptoglobin levels
  • Serum indirect bilirubin levels
  • Serum LDH
  • Urine and fecal urobilinogen

Directly measuring the red cell life span with radioactive tagging techniques shows a shortened life span.

This disease may also affect the following test results, depending on the specific cause:

  • AST
  • Coombs' test, direct
  • Coombs' test, indirect
  • Donath-Landsteiner test
  • Febrile or cold agglutinins
  • Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase
  • Peripheral blood smear
  • Platelet count
  • Protein electrophoresis - serum
  • RBC indices
  • Serum creatinine
  • Serum ferritin
  • Serum iron
  • Serum potassium level
  • Serum uric acid
  • TIBC
  • White blood count differential


Review Date: 01/31/2010
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assitant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine; and Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)