The National Cancer Institute considers 'immunohemolytic anemia', 'autoimmune hemolytic anemia', and 'immune complex hemolytic anemia' to all be synonyms.

Although MeSH uses the term 'autoimmune hemolytic anemia', some sources prefer the term 'immunohemolytic anemia' so drug reactions can be included in this category. The terminology used in this disease is somewhat ambiguous. Autoimmune hemolysis might be a precursor of later onset systemic lupus erythematosus. AIHA is a relatively rare condition, with an incidence of 5–10 cases per 1 million persons per year in the warm-antibody type and 0.45 to 1.9 cases per 1 million persons per year in the cold antibody type.

The antibodies are usually directed against high-incidence antigens, therefore they also commonly act on allogenic RBCs (RBCs originating from outside the person themselves, e.g. The intracellular components of the RBCs are released into the circulating blood and into tissues, leading to some of the characteristic symptoms of this condition. The lifetime of the RBCs is reduced from the normal 100–120 days to just a few days in serious cases.

Medical condition Autoimmune hemolytic anemiaĪutoimmune hemolytic anemia ( AIHA) occurs when antibodies directed against the person's own red blood cells (RBCs) cause them to burst (lyse), leading to an insufficient number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells in the circulation.

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