When considering the autoimmune hemolytic anemia symptoms you should know that this condition is the result of a dysfunction of your immune system.
The system produces autoantibodies that fight the red blood cells treating them like foreign objects inside the body.
Information about the symptoms of autoimmune hemolytic anemia
It is possible for some of the patients not to have any symptoms at all. On the other hand they could experience shortness of breath, tiredness or they could have pale skin.
It is possible for the severe illnesses to cause jaundice, fullness or abdominal discomfort.
In order to find the source of the autoimmune hemolytic anemia signs the specialists use blood tests. These can also detect the reason of an autoimmune reaction. In some cases it is needed to weaken the immune system with different kinds of drugs or corticosteroids.
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia symptoms
As it has been mentioned before, it is possible for the patients not to have any symptoms at all. This usually happens if the destruction of your red blood cells develops gradually and it is mild. Other people could have symptoms just as the ones caused by other kinds of anemia.
These kinds of signs of autoimmune hemolytic anemia appear especially if the disappearance of the red blood cells is severe or fast. In this case it is possible for the patients to be affected by jaundice if the condition lasts longer; the spleen could get enlarged, resulting in a feeling of abdominal discomfort and fullness.
It is possible that the autoimmune hemolytic anemia symptoms are caused by another disease. In this case in the symptoms of the other condition dominate. This is why the affected people could have tender and swollen lymph nodes and even fever.
Diagnosis
If you see the warning signs of autoimmune hemolytic anemia most probably he or she will run a blood test. The diagnosis is made if the blood test shows a high level of blood cells which are immature. It is also possible for the blood test to show a high amount of bilirubin and a high level of haptoglobin.
In case you experience the autoimmune hemolytic anemia symptoms, it is possible that the blood tests will show high levels of antibodies that can be found in the liquid part of the blood or attached to the red blood cells. Some of the tests could even show the cause of the problem, which is destroying the blood cells.
Treatment
In case the autoimmune hemolytic anemia warning signs are mild and the destruction of the red blood cells slows down, there may be no need for a treatment. However, if the destruction doesn’t slow down, the patient may have to take corticosteroids like prednisone. At first the patient is given higher doses which later, are gradually reduced.
As you can see there are a lot of different autoimmune hemolytic anemia symptoms that you should keep an eye out for to know what they mean or when to see a health care provider.
