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Section: Overview
Immune mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA), also known as auto-immune mediated hemolytic anemia (AIHA), is a disease in which the body's immune system, which is designed to attack and kill germs, attacks and kills the body's own red blood cells. The attack begins when antibodies, which are molecules made by the immune system to target germs, instead attach to and target the animal's own red blood cells for destruction. The red blood cells carry oxygen to the tissues, and the animal cannot survive without adequate oxygenation of the tissues. The causes of IMHA remain largely unknown. While some cases of IMHA may be associated with a triggering event (cancer, infection, and perhaps even vaccinations), these events do not explain why the immune system misdirects its arsenal of weapons against the animal it is meant to protect.
Anemia is defined as a low red blood cell count. Anemia can be caused by a number of different processes, including blood loss, red blood cell destruction, and inadequate red blood cell production.
Thrombocytopenia refers to an abnormally low blood-concentration of platelets, which are blood cells that promote blood clotting after injury to the lining of the blood vessels. When the concentration...
Hemolytic anemia is a disease process in which the red blood cells, the cells that carry oxygen and impart a red color to blood, are destroyed, resulting in a decreased number in the bloodstream. This...
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