Anaemia 2: Haemolysis

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the destruction of red blood cells, called haemolysis. It explains that haemolysis can be classified as an external factor acting on essentially healthy red cells, or as the destruction of red cells with defects of haemoglobin, the cell membrane, or in metabolic enzymes. It lists the different causes of the inappropriate destruction of red blood cells and clarifies the relationship between gene mutation and anaemia. The chapter describes the major features of the haemoglobinopathies and outlines how mutations in genes for membrane components and enzymes can lead to anaemia. It also highlights haemolytic anaemias, which are generally caused by a shortening of the lifespan of the red cell and failure of the bone marrow to be able to compensate for this reduced lifespan.