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Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia

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Textbook of Clinical Pediatrics

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Definition/Classification

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is a condition in which red blood cell (RBC) destruction occurs due to antibody formation directed against self RBC antigens. In children, AIHA typically occurs following viral infection. AIHA can be due to either warm or cold antibodies, with the temperature referring to the optimal binding temperature of the antibody. AIHA is less likely to be chronic in children than in adults, but the anemia may be severe on initial presentation. In adults, the incidence of AIHA is approximately 1–3/100,000. Warm AIHA is more common than cold AIHA, accounting for about 90% of adult cases. The prevalence of cold AIHA in adults is 16/million. In children, the incidence is unknown, but mild AIHA may be more frequent, with some cases never coming to medical attention.

Pathology

Warm AIHA is due to IgG antibodies directed against RBC membrane proteins (Table 319.1 ). These antibodies bind maximally at body temperature (37°C), causing...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd, 53226, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Dr Veronica H. Flood

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, 97239-3098, Portland, OR, USA

    Michael Recht (Professor)

Authors
  1. Dr Veronica H. Flood
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  2. Michael Recht
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Veronica H. Flood .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia

    Abdelaziz Y. Elzouki (Professor of Pediatrics) (Professor of Pediatrics)

  2. National Center of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (NCAAI), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Harb A. Harfi (Director) (Director)

  3. Consultant Pediatric Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Islamic Hospital, Amman, Jordan

    Hisham M. Nazer

  4. Seattle Children's Hospital University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA

    F. Bruder Stapleton (Professor and Chair Department of Pediatrics) (Professor and Chair Department of Pediatrics)

  5. Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Woman and Infants Hospital, Providence, RI, USA

    William Oh (Professor of Pediatrics) (Professor of Pediatrics)

  6. University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Richard J. Whitley (Professor of Pediatrics) (Professor of Pediatrics)

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Flood, V.H., Recht, M. (2012). Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia. In: Elzouki, A.Y., Harfi, H.A., Nazer, H.M., Stapleton, F.B., Oh, W., Whitley, R.J. (eds) Textbook of Clinical Pediatrics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02202-9_319

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02202-9_319

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-02201-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-02202-9

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