Essay on Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia

Autoimmune disease- any of a large group of diseases characterized by abnormal functioning of the immune system that causes your immune system to produce antibodies against your own tissues (the definition from wordnetweb.pronceton.edu).

People may not know they have hemochromatosis since in the early stages they may not have any symptoms. In this stage, the only way the disorder can be detected is through routine blood tests and the doctor noticing elevated iron levels in the blood. Usually, the first and most common symptoms of hemochromatosis is joint pain and fatigue, but these are symptoms which occur in several other diseases and disorders, so the diagnosis is frequently held up or even overlooked. “Pain in the knuckles of the pointer and middle finger, collectively called ‘The Iron Fist,’ is the only sign or symptom specific to hemochromatosis. However, not everyone with HHC experiences the Iron Fist” (“WHAT IS HEMOCHROMATOSIS?” n.d.).

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown cause that can affect virtually any part of the body. The medical term for Lupus is Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or better known as SLE. With Lupus there is a malfunction in some of the cells of the immune system. "In Lupus, the body overreacts to an unknown stimulus and makes to many antibodies, or proteins directed against body tissue. Thus, Lupus is called an autoimmune disease. ”#

An increased MVC is a sign of a macrocytic anemia and is typically caused by folate and B12 deficiency, liver disease, hemolytic anemias, hypothyroidism, and alcoholism (Medscape, 2015). The risk factors for this type of anemia are the lack of meat and dairy products in one?s diet, intestinal disease, lack of intrinsic factor (IF), medications such as antacids or particular diabetes type II meds, and having an endocrine-related autoimmune disorder (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Her physical exam is negative, her asthma is well controlled, and she had no other complaints. Therefore, according to her physical exam, she appears to be a healthy young female. However, her lab values of Hemoglobin 10, Hematocrit 30.1, and an increased MCV are indicative of B-12 deficiency anemia. According to Buttaro, Trybulski, Polgar Bailey, & Sandberg-Cook (2013), mild cases of this type of anemia do not produce many symptoms, therefore, the complete blood count (CBC) usually verifies the diagnosis. The fact that she is vegetarian puts her at an increased risk for B12 deficiency, due to the lack of meat in her diet. Foods that contain B12 are only attained from animals such as meat, dairy, and fish. A deficiency from B12 from deficiency or malabsorption may not manifest for many years (Hunt, Harrington, & Robinson, 2014). The patient states that she does not drink

People who have Myelodysplastic Syndrome may not experience symptoms at the beginning of the disease. However, there are three main signs that can develop and alert healthcare providers that something is wrong. One of these is a low red blood cell count, or Anemia. Most patients that have myelodysplastic syndromes exhibit this indicator when first diagnosed. A normal red blood count can vary between 4.0 and 6.1 million red blood cells per microliter of blood in the body, depending on the age and sex of the patient. A red blood cell count lower than normal is characteristic of Anemia (Cafasso, Jacquelyn, and Gotter). Not only is Anemia shown by constantly low hematocrit, but it can also be characterized by constantly low hemoglobin. A normal hemoglobin count is between 12.0 and 15.5 grams per deciliter of blood for females, and 13.5 to 17.5 grams per deciliter of blood for males. Levels lower than these show a low hemoglobin level (Mayo Clinic, Hemoglobin Test). Hemoglobin is the protein in blood that carries oxygen to the different tissues in the body.

In the case of diseases such as the DiGeorge syndrome, the immune system activity is not functioning properly due to the abnormal development of the thymus gland inducing a minimized production of T Cell. Whereas, in another case such as asthma, the immune system is overreacting. The other possibility of abnormality of the immune system is the impossibility for it to make a difference between invaders and the body’s cell causing the immune system to attack itself, those are the autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.1

Also known as normocytic anemia. This is the most frequent type of anemia most often happening to males over 85 years old. It is a common problem that occurs to men and women over 85 years old. Symptoms include and are caused by: a reduced production of normal-sized red blood cells even though presence of hemoglobin in the red blood cells is within the standard range; an increased production of HbS as is seen in sickle cell diseases; greater destruction and loss of red blood cells; an increase in plasma volume that is not compensated by anything else; a B2 (riboflavin) deficiency; and a B6 (pyridoxine) deficiency. (Brill & Baumgardner 2000).

A disorder where the body is attacking itself is known as an autoimmune disorder. In an autoimmune disorder the body cannot decipher between a pathogen, bacteria, or infection attacking the body and normal healthy body tissue. The majority of autoimmune disorders are long lasting or even permanent. An example of a chronic autoimmune disorder is multiple sclerosis (MS).

SLE is a systemic autoimmune disease, where the body’s immune system wrongly attacks healthy tissue, and affects many of the internal organs in the body. SLE is most likely to damage the heart, skin, lungs, kidneys, joints, blood vessels, liver, and nervous system. SLE is a chronic inflammatory disease understood to be type III hypersensitivity responses, with some type II hypersensitivity involvement. Jillian’s complete blood count revealed she has low red blood cell and hemoglobin levels. Her result was 2.8 cells/mcL while the reference range is 3.90-5.03 cells/mcL for red blood cell count and 10.0 g/dL while the reference range is 12.0-15.5 g/dL for hemoglobin, resulting in anemia. With Type II hypersensitivity and hemolytic anemia, IgM antibodies bind to red blood cells and causes the agglutination of the red blood cells, resulting in a low red blood cell count. Hemolytic anemia explains Jillian’s symptoms of fatigue and shortness of breath. An indirect consequence of hemolytic anemia is the splenomegaly and pre-hepatic jaundice. The red blood cell breakdown and excretion of bilirubin resulted in Jillian’s high bilirubin total count in the blood chem panel, her value was 2.1 MG/DL when the average reference range is 0.2-1.3 MG/DL. With type III hypersensitivity immune

Auto immune hemolytic anemia is a disorder where the body attacks itself. The body attacks and lysis its own red blood cells. The immune system recognizes the red blood cells as foreign invaders, targets them and destroys them. Red blood cells are either destroyed in the vessel as it circulates or when its circulates through the liver or spleen. Hemoglobin is released by the red blood cells and the liver is overworked as it tries to break it down. Oxygen is delivered to cells and tissue via hemoglobin and can cause symptoms such as lethargy, tachypnea, tachycardia, pale mucous membranes, and disorientation due to lack of oxygen. Vomiting and poor appetite can also be experienced symptoms. Auto immune hemolytic anemia is diagnosed with blood

To understand autoimmune diseases, the general characteristic of autoimmunity must be addressed. Autoimmunity is defined, in short, as “ misdirected immune response”. A healthy person is equipped with the mechanisms necessary to defend the body from pathogens within the immune system. When autoimmunity is present in an individual, something within the immune system is

Autoimmune disorder results from a hyperactive immune system attacking normal tissues as if they were foreign bodies. Immunodeficiency occurs when the immune system is not as strong as normal, resulting in recurring and life-threatening infections.

Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS): making the diagnosis. Clin Adv in Hematol Oncol. 2012;10(10)(suppl 17): 1-11.

What causes the immune system to malfunction is unknown. Therefore, there is no reliable way to prevent developing an autoimmune disease. There is a possibility that hormones may play a part in stimulating autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases may even have an inherited element because a good number of autoimmune diseases likely run in families. This means that a person is seemingly likely to develop the disease if that person has a close relative with that disease. For a few autoimmune diseases, this familial possibility remains small. (Franz, 2006, Laberge, Davidson, 2007, Schwartz, 2007, Dugdale, 2009, Wrong Diagnosis, 2000).

A. has suffered from menorrhagia (abnormally heavy menstrual bleeding) and dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation) for 10-12 years. A blood loss of 2-4 mL/day is sufficient to cause IDA. During a normal menstrual cycle blood loss averages 25-60 mL and a loss of iron averages 0.5-1 mg daily (London, Ladewig, Ball, Bindler, & Cowen, 2011). In addition, Ms. A. has been taking aspirin with which an adverse side effect is gastrointestinal bleeding (Deglin, Vallerand, & Sanoski, 2011). Anemia is defined as a reduction in the number of red blood cells (RBCs), the quantity of hemoglobin, and the volume of packed red cells to below normal levels (London et al., 2011). A normal level of erythrocytes or RBC in a female is 4.2-5.4 x 10/mm, hemoglobin and hematocrit should be 12-16 g/dL and 37%-47% (Pagana & Pagana, 2010). Ms. A’s results are all below normal levels. Some of her RBCs are small and pale, which indicates that there is a reduced amount of hemoglobin available. Symptoms of IDA include fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath (Huether & McCance,