Characterisation of irregular antibodies in patients with autoimmune hemolytic anaemia at Bach Mai Hospital

Abstract

Autoantibodies in patients with autoimmune hemolytic anaemia (AIHA) which “bind” to antigens on the surface of red blood cells, cause hemolysis. In addition, autoantibodies may also circulate in the serum, and their presence may mask or interfere with the irregular antibodies. Therefore, the authors encounter many difficulties in determining the appearance of irregular antibodies in AIHA patients. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and characterisation of irregular antibodies in patients with AIHA. Subjects: 150 patients were diagnosed and treated for AIHA at Bach Mai Hospital from June 2019 to June 2021. Method: Cross-sectional description. Results and conclusions: The rate of occurrence of irregular antibodies in AIHA patients is 9.3%, which is very high in AIHA patients with autoantibodies (28.6%). Irregular antibodies mainly combine with autoantibodies (85.7%), and most irregular antibodies are against antigens of the Rh (60.0%) and MNS (35.0%) blood groups.