Autoimmune hemolytic anemia is more likely to occur in middle-aged and older individuals.
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia is a serious, life threatening disease. About half of the time, the cause of autoimmune hemolytic anemia cannot be determined. There are two main types of autoimmune hemolytic anemia: warm antibody hemolytic anemia and cold antibody hemolytic anemia. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia can also be caused by or occur with another disease, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, and rarely it follows the use of certain drugs, such as penicillin. In the warm antibody type, the autoantibodies attach to and destroy red blood cells at temperatures equal to or in excess of normal body temperature. In the cold antibody type, the autoantibodies become most active and attack red blood cells only at temperatures well below normal body temperature.