Anemia, Hemolytic, Warm Antibody

Important
It is possible that the main title of the report Anemia, Hemolytic, Warm Antibody is not the name you expected. Please check the synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and disorder subdivision(s) covered by this report.

Synonyms

Warm Reacting Antibody Disease
Idiopathic Warm Antibody Hemolytic Anemia
Primary Warm Antibody Hemolytic Anemia
Warm Antibody Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia

Disorder Subdivisions

Warm Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia secondary to IgM Autoantibodies
Warm-reactive AIHA secondary to IgM

General Discussion

Warm antibody hemolytic anemia is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the premature destruction of healthy red blood cells by autoantibodies. Autoimmune diseases occur when the body's natural defenses against foreign organisms (e.g., lymphocytes, antibodies) destroy healthy tissue for unknown reasons. Normally, red blood cells have a life span of approximately 120 days before they are removed by the spleen. The medical term for low levels of circulating red blood cells is anemia. Anemia may cause fatigue, a pale skin color (pallor), yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice) and the passage of blood in the urine (hemoglobinuria), which gives the urine a dark brown color. Warm antibody hemolytic anemia is classified as an autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), an uncommon group of disorders in which the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy red blood cells.

Resources

NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
31 Center Drive MSC 2480
Building 31A Rm 4A16
Bethesda, MD 20892-2480
Tel: (301)592-8573
Fax: (240)629-3246
Email: nhlbiinfo@rover.nhlbi.nih.gov
Internet: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/

MUMS (Mothers United for Moral Support, Inc) National Parent-to-Parent Network
150 Custer Court
Green Bay, WI 54301-1243
USA
Tel: (920)336-5333
Fax: (920)339-0995
Tel: (877)336-5333
Email: mums@netnet.net
Internet: http://www.netnet.net/mums/

Anemia Institute for Research and Education
151 Bloor Street West
Suite 600
Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1S4
Canada
Tel: 416-969-7431
Fax: 416-969-7420
Tel: 877-992-6364
Email: info@anemiainstitute.org
Internet: http://www.anemiainstitute.org

Cold Agglutinin Disease E-Support
c/o Betty Usdan
146 Greens Rd.
Hollywood, FL 33021
Tel: (954)961-2703
Fax: (954)961-2703
Internet: http://www.coldagglutinindisease.org

AutoImmunity Community
Tel: (919) 552-9057
Email: bandrews@autoimmunitycommunity.org
Internet: http://autoimmunitycommunity.org

For a Complete Report

This is an abstract of a report from the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. ® (NORD). A copy of the complete report can be obtained for a small fee by visiting the NORD website. The complete report contains additional information including symptoms, causes, affected population, related disorders, standard and investigational treatments (if available), and references from medical literature. For a full-text version of this topic, see http://www.rarediseases.org/search/rdblist.html

The information provided in this report is not intended for diagnostic purposes. It is provided for informational purposes only. NORD recommends that affected individuals seek the advice or counsel of their own personal physicians.

It is possible that the title of this topic is not the name you selected. Please check the Synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and Disorder Subdivision(s) covered by this report

This disease entry is based upon medical information available through the date at the end of the topic. Since NORD's resources are limited, it is not possible to keep every entry in the Rare Disease Database completely current and accurate. Please check with the agencies listed in the Resources section for the most current information about this disorder.

For additional information and assistance about rare disorders, please contact the National Organization for Rare Disorders at P.O. Box 1968, Danbury, CT 06813-1968; phone (203) 744-0100; web site www.rarediseases.org or email orphan@rarediseases.org

Last Updated: 3/11/2008
Copyright 1990, 2000, 2008 National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.

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