Prognosis

• In auto-immune haemolytic anaemia the prognosis is more serious than in the hereditary form, death in haemolytic crisis being more frequent. The effect of blood transfusion, high dose steroids, and splenectomy are not as satisfactory as in the hereditary disease. Immunosuppressive therapy or thymectomy (removal of the thymus gland) may have to be considered with failure of first line therapy.
• Haemolytic anaemia occurs occasionally in association with a variety of other diseases such as chronic leukemia, liver cirrhosis, malignant disease, syphilis and tuberculosis.
• Transfusion with incompatible blood will result in destruction of the infused cells, and the production of an acute haemolytic anaemia, with resulting severe systemic reactions.

Symptoms of anaemia in most individuals are mild with functional impairment being minimal in the majority of cases. Affected individuals would normally be able to carry out all activities of daily living, and there would normally be no significant restriction of self-care activities. Anaemia as a secondary complication of other disease processes e.g. Rheumatoid Arthritis will also not cause any significant impairment of function in the majority of people, and disability will be as a result of the primary condition. Severe anaemia may be more pronounced, resulting in some impairment of various activities of daily living.