A 44-year-old female presents for her routine examination. She complains of tiredness and difficulty in breathing when she exerts herself. Her DAT is positive with polyspecific AHG and anti-IgG. Her hemoglobin is 7.5 gm/dl, and her indices suggest a normocytic, normochromic anemia. Her peripheral blood smear shows the presence of spherocytes. What is the most likely diagnosis?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The patient's presentation suggests warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia (WAIHA), which is characterized by the presence of warm-reacting autoantibodies against red blood cells. The positive DAT with anti-IgG suggests the presence of IgG antibodies on the surface of the patient's red blood cells, which may be causing their destruction. The normocytic, normochromic anemia and spherocytes seen on peripheral smear are also characteristic of WAIHA. The tiredness and difficulty breathing with exertion may be due to the decreased oxygen-carrying capacity of the patient's blood as a result of anemia.

A 44-Year-Old Female Presents for Her Routine Examination