Question

What causes hemolytic anemia?

Answer 1

Hemolytic anemia is caused by high rate of destruction of Red Blood Cells in body. Haem, a word of Greek origin, means blood while haemoglobin means the iron containing pigment of RBC.

Explanation:

What causes Haemolytic anemia?

Answer is: the large scale destruction of RBCs when rate of synthesis can not replace the lost cells. Abnormal loss of RBCs means loss of haemoglobin, and as a result oxygen transport ability of blood will be adversely affected.

But that is not the entire answer, there are underlying causes which lead to hemolytic anemia i.e. conditions/diseases in which RBCs are destroyed in large number. A couple of common examples are:

• Sickle cell anemia (genetically inherited mutation forms abnormal haemoglobin molecules within RBCs, latter become brittle)
• Pernicious malaria (infection by protozoan malarial parasite which enters and divides in RBCs destroying them in the process)

There is an increase in free haemoglobin in body and subsequently there is increased formation of catalytic products of haemoglobin i.e. bilirubin and biliverdin.

Increased level of bilirubin causes haemolytic jaundice.

Appearance of free haemoglobin in urine is known as haemoglobinuria, a symptom in pernicious malaria.

Dead RBCs are removed from blood by spleen, which in turn enlarges due to overwork.