IMMUNE HAEMOLYSIS

[IMMUNE HAEMOLYTIC ANAEMIA]

warm auto-antibodies [usually IgG; rarely IgA]:

1� (idiopathic)

2� to:

lymphomas and other malignancies

leukaemias, especially CLL

systemic lupus erythematosus and other connective tissue disease

ulcerative colitis

drugs (a -methyldopa, penicillins, quinidine)

cold agglutinins (auto-antibodies)[IgM]:

acute:

associated with mycoplasma, EBV and other infections

chronic:

idiopathic

associated with lymphoma

cold haemolysins [IgG][= paroxysmal cold haemoglobinuria; auto-antibodies bind at low temperature and cause haemolysis when temperature rises to 30� C]:

primary

secondary to infection

mycoplasma

measles

mumps

other infections

allo-immune (iso-immune) haemolysis:

haemolytic transfusion reactions

haemolytic disease of the newborn

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