Sometimes I wonder if writing this blog is such a good idea because I re-live everything I write, and it's not all good!   But then, reality wins and it really is the best way to document AND communicate.

So today, what day is this again?  Jusst kidding!

This morning a member of the Oncology team we've not met, Dr McCreary and 2 residents came in.  She said from all the results that are back so far they think Eric has Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia.  And the definition is below:

What is hemolytic anemia?

Anemia means having a low red blood cell count or a low amount of the oxygen carrying red pigment of blood—the protein hemoglobin . Anemia can be caused by blood loss, problems with the bone marrow that affect red cell production, or premature destruction of red cells in the circulation.

Hemolytic anemia occurs when red blood cells are destroyed or removed from the circulation prematurely. This destruction occurs primarily in the spleen, where cells called macrophages filter the blood and remove abnormal or damaged cells. You may not realize it, but we all continually make new red blood cells. Normal red cells have a finite lifespan (in the range of 100-120 days). At the end of this lifespan, both normal and damaged cells are ‘recognized’ by macrophages and removed from the circulation. The exact nature of this recognition signal or signals remains an area of active investigation. In hemolytic anemia, red cell lifespan is shortened, and thus the rate of turnover of red cells is higher.

  Causes of acquired hemolytic anemia include infection, drug or toxin exposure and autoimmune reaction against red cells

What causes hemolytic anemia?

A shortened red cell survival is a symptom, not a cause of hemolytic anemia.

 

What is a sedimentation rate?

A sedimentation rate is common blood test that is used to detect and monitor inflammation in the body. The sedimentation rate is also called the erythrocyte sedimentation rate because it is a measure of the red blood cells (erythrocytes) sedimenting in a tube over a given period of time. Sedimentation rate is often abbreviated as sed rate or ESR.

How is a sedimentation rate performed?

A sedimentation rate is performed by measuring the rate at which red blood cells (RBCs) settle in a test tube. The RBCs become sediment in the bottom of the test tube over time, leaving the blood serum visible above. The classic sedimentation rate is simply how far the top of the RBC layer has fallen (in millimeters) in one hour. The sedimentation rate increases with more inflammation.

What is the normal sedimentation rate?

The normal sedimentation rate (Westergren method) for males is 0-15 millimeters per hour, females is 0-20 millimeters per hour