Disease overview:
Red blood cells have the important mission of carrying oxygen from your lungs to the heart and throughout the entire body. The bone marrow is responsible for making these red blood cells. When destruction of red blood cells excess its production , hemolytic anemia occurs.
It occurs when the red blood cells are destroyed largely than they are manufactured.
Hemolytic anemia may be extrinsic and intrinsic.
Extrinsic hemolytic:
It develops by several methods, such as when the spleen traps and destroys the healthy red blood cells or an autoimmune reaction occurs. It can also come from the red blood cell destruction due to the following reasons:
Infections
Tumors
Autoimmune disorders
Medication side effects
Leukemia
Lymphoma
Intrinsic hemolytic:
The anemia develops when the red blood cells produced by the body doesn’t function properly. This condition is often inherited such as in people with the sickle cell anemia or thalassemia in which the person tends to have abnormal hemoglobin. An inherited metabolic abnormality can lead to this condition such as in people with G6PD deficiency or red blood cell membrane instability foe example hereditary spherocytosis. Anyone can develop hemolytic anemia
Hemolytic anemia is the destruction of the RBCs. The red blood cells has the lifespan of 120 days. When the red blood cell is unable to change the shape as it passes through the spleen, it becomes sequestered and phagocytosis occurs. This is seen in the hemoglobinopthies such as the sicke cell anemia. Damage can also occur with the inherited protein deficits such as membranopathies, hereditary spherocytosis, fragmentation, thrombocytopenic purpura , disseminated intravascular coagulation and increase in the oxidative stress or decrease in the energy production, antibodies binding with RBC’s resulting in phagocytosis. Drug induced hemolysis, infections or direct trauma.
Tiredness
Lightheadeness
Breathlessness
Ischaemic symptoms
The measures the level of hemoglobin content that the liver has broken down.
Normal adult hematocrit values vary among medical practices but are generally between 40% and 52% for men and 35% and 47% for women. Normal adult hemoglobin values are generally 14 to 18 grams per deciliter for men and 12 to 16 grams per deciliter for women.
The prognosis is excellent. The patient might take a time period of 2-6 weeks for complete recovery
Avoidance of the immunotherapeutic drugs
Avoidance of the unnecessary antibiotics like trimethoprim sulfamethaxone
Use of bioprothetic cardiac valves over mechanical valves to prevent valve induced hemolysis