A new case report written by Yale physicians describes a patient who presented to the hospital with a rare condition known as warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia (wAIHA). This condition arises when the body creates antibodies that target and ultimately destroy its own red blood cells.
This patient’s case was unique, as he was unresponsive to first- and second-line therapies. Over a 42-day hospital stay, the patient received over 90 blood transfusions, as well as various treatments using steroids and immunotherapies. The patient ultimately underwent a splenectomy, a procedure in which the spleen is removed, and his condition began to improve within hours.
Splenectomies were recently downgraded to third-line treatment for this blood disorder, and there is little guidance around when exactly in the disease course this surgery may be indicated. This report highlights that splenectomies remain both a viable and vital treatment option in cases of severe and unrelenting wAIHA.
To learn more, read the clinical case, “Severe, Refractory Primary Warm Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia Requiring 90 Erythrocyte Transfusions.”
Neeharika Namineni, Christina Waldron, Christopher Tormey, George Goshua. Severe, Refractory Primary Warm Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia Requiring 90 Erythrocyte Transfusions. Ann Intern Med Clin Cases.2024;3:e231141. [Epub 7 May 2024]. doi:10.7326/aimcc.2023.1141