<unk>  <unk>  occurs when antibodies directed against the person's own red blood cells (RBCs) cause them to burst (lyse), leading to an insufficient number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells in the circulation. The lifetime of the RBCs is reduced from the normal 100–120 days to just a few days in serious cases. The intracellular components of the RBCs are released into the circulating blood and into tissues, leading to some of the characteristic symptoms of this condition. The antibodies are usually directed against high-incidence antigens, therefore they also commonly act on allogenic RBCs (RBCs originating from outside the person themselves, e.g. in the case of a blood transfusion).<unk>  is a relatively rare condition, with an incidence of 5-10 cases per 1 million persons per year in the warm-antibody type and 0.45 to 1.9 cases per 1 million persons per year in the cold antibody type. Autoimmune hemolysis might be a precursor of later onset systemic lupus erythematosus. The terminology used in this disease is somewhat ambiguous. Although MeSH uses the term<unk> ", some sources prefer the term "immunohemolytic anemia" so drug reactions can be included in this category. The National Cancer Institute considers "immunohemolytic anemia",<unk> ", and "immune complex hemolytic anemia" to all be synonyms.
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
Mixed autoimmune hemolytic anemia
Cold autoimmune hemolytic anemia
Acquired hemolytic anemia
Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia
Mechanical hemolytic anemia
Drug-induced nonautoimmune hemolytic anemia
Cryoglobulinemia