Hemolytic Anemia

Question: My husband has hemolytic anemia can he get discharged from the navy? My husband has 1 1/2 years left of a 6 year enlistment. The naval doctors recently found out he has hemolytic anemia. He has apparently had it all his life. It leaves him feeling very fatigued and at times very ill.He has tried iron pills,changing his diet nothing seems to help. The naval doctors haven't said much yet. He would like to get medically discharged from the Navy due to this condition. Is it possible? And how does he go about presenting his case?

Answer: 1) The doctors will prepare a medical board report. If he has over 3 years service, there is a presumption of service aggravation. That report will be sent to the Physical Evaluation Board for a determination of disability rating. If the rating is 30% or less, and your husband accepts it, he will be discharged with severance pay. If the percentage is 30% or higher he will be transferred to the Disability Retired List, with all base privileges for his dependents and himself (including medical benefits). 2) If he has less than three years of service, the medical board will recommend his discharge for a disqualifying medical condition which existed prior to his entry.

Question: My dog has Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia? My dog has Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia. Right now she is in the ER being prepped for a blood transfusion. If Tina, my dog, pulls through, what will be the next step? What will her quality of life be like after the procedure? Anyone who has had a pet with this disease or experience with IMHA, your help would be much appreciated!

Answer: I am sorry that your dog is so ill. What is good is that she is exactly where she needs to be inorder to recover. IMHA is typically caused by a drug,toxin,parasite or tick borne infection. The dogs immune system is destroying its own red blood cells. The bone marrow is not poducing enough red blood cells to compensate for the red blood cells that are being destroyed. Which leaves the dog critically anemic. Typically treatment is intravenous fluids,immune suppressing drugs like prednisone or dexamethasone and anti coagulants like heparin. If a patient is extremely anemic and jaundice is apparent blood transfusions are generally necessary. Sometimes it requires more than one transfusion for the dog to respond. If tick borne illness is suspected doxycycline is administered while blood tests (titres) are pending. Dogs with IMHA need to be hospitalized for many days in order to recover. If she responds in 1-3 days of treatment the prognosis is generally good. She may need to remain on prednisone or another immune surpressent drug long term. Her quality of life could be absolutely normal despite requiring medication. Right now her prognosis is likely guarded as she is critically ill. If you have the means to treat her she has a good chance to overcome this. She will need to be monitored by your vet fo quite some time if she pulls through. It can be expensive but it also may save her life. If she doesn't have seperation anxiety issues you should visit her. As she is really sick she needs to know you are there to support her. Dogs respond well when they have human contact. This may sound selfish but making some cookies for the staff that is caring fo your girl will strike a chord with those in charge of her case. Your act of kindness will pay off ten fold As it may inspire he cae givers to spend extra time and attention with Tina. As I look back on my career almost all dogs who were diagnosed with IMHA where the underlying illness was found recovered. Its alot of work for the owner who must medicate these dogs daily and bring them in for check ups. After about 3-5 months they are back to normal and do not require such intense monitoring. I hope Tina pulls through. Have some comfort in the fact that wise and caring people are doing their very best to help her through this. Hang in there and visit her if its emotionally possible for each of you. Take care and please update us as many here are rallying for her!

Question: How do I explain to my job that I have an inherited hemolytic anemia disease? A lot of people do not know a lot about G6PD, but it's real. I sometimes go into crisis which inables me to be able to do things because my body gets really tired and it can be very painful sometimes. It's kind of like sickle cell anemia.

Answer: If you are just being hired, don't tell them yet. If you're already on the job ask to speak to your immediate supervisor or manager in private. They will help you decide how to deal with it (IE: Whether entire staff need to know, you need certain accommodation in work area, etc.). Just explain the symptoms that might be visible to others & might affect how others respond to you. Best of luck

Question: Any cats with immune mediated hemolytic anemia? My cat was very lethargic and not eating, we took him to the vet and his RBC's were extremely low. The Vet said that he had a form of anemia, and that his body was attacking his RBC's. Anyone with this disorder and survival rates??

Answer: My cat has IMHA. He was diagnosed in April 2006 when, like your cat, he was very lethargic and his RBC's were dangerously low. While this disease cannot be "cured", it can be managed with medication. My cat takes Prednisolone daily, and this year started Chlorambucil (a chemo agent). While it is more commonly seen in dog's, there are cases of cats having this disease. When searching for info on the internet, some refer to it as "AIHA" (auto immune hemolytic anemia), whereas others refer to it is IMHA. Some sites spell hemolytic "haemolytic". There is an IMHA forum for cats online that I am a member of, but unfortunately it is currently down. My cat's story of IMHA, along with 2 other people's cats are explained in detail on the website. (http://forum.lasercannon.com/cgi-bin/yab… The main aspect that affects survival rates is whether or not your cat responds well to medication. Hopefully, your vet has started your cat on Prednisolone already. It can take a few days, but then your cat's immune system should be suppressed, he should start regenerating reticulocytes (baby RBC's), and his Hematocrit should rise. Your vet will probably also be checking other things beside a CBC such as looking for Hemobartonella and other infections of the blood. There is SO much information I wish I could share with you. IMHA is a very scary disease, especially since it is so rare. Feel free to contact me if you'd like. ***EDIT*** It looks like the IMHA forum is back up. Here is the link: http://forum.lasercannon.com/cgi-bin/yab… If that doesn't work for some reason, try this link: http://www.lasercannon.com/Personal/Aery… I hope your kitty is doing better :) Hang in there!

Question: What is hemolytic anemia and is a trait carry in Beagles? My 5 year old female Beagle was healthy and very active,then in 24 hours she got sick. When to vet, there was nothing he could do.So is my other dogs going to sick too. They are from same blood line.

Answer: her blood wasn't doing what it was supposed to. i don't know if it's genetic, since it's blood i would assume so, but that doesn't guarantee your other dog will come down with it. you can always ask your blood. i think hemolytic means the molecule in the blood cells that helped carry oxygen throughout the body wasn't working. i'm not sure though. i don't think my answer really helped, lol. sorry about your beagle.

Question: What is Autoimmune hemolytic anemia? and what can it do to your dog? my goal in life is to become a vet tech and work with animals, especialy dogs and in that catagory. this is one of the illnesses im researching, i'm not in school for it yet, i'm 15 but that gives me no right Not to be curious. Its probably not a simple explanation of the illness but all the info i can get would be strongly appreciated :) thank you.

Answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoimmune_…

Question: Has anyone's pup on this forum had autoimmune hemolytic anemia? My dog just got diagnosed this morning (early in the disease, thank god) and I am maintaining, but am very close to losing it as he was normal on Friday, and now is fighting for his life. Anyone who has a dog survive this, PLEASE give me some hope! And yes, he has been to the vet and yes, he is on meds, and yes we will be back in the morning, if not before. And no the vet did not want him to stay there tonight. Please everyone be kind, I need all the hope I can get.

Answer: i have seen many many dogs do just fine for a long time with this disease. especially if caught early. it's something you'll need to be careful with. before it's under control, bumps, bruises and cuts can be dangerous. but often if the meds work, and they often do, the dog can go on to live a long life. we're treating one right now at work and she's doing great! her blood values are normal and have been for a months and even has been taken off the meds. if they stay normal until next month she will be in what would be called remission. most dogs stay this way. good luck to you and your pup. i know it sounds scary and it can be dangerous. but many dogs do just fine. follow your vet's instuctions and just be watchful of signs her blood values are getting lower. such as white gums, purplish red spots on her belly and on her gums and being lethargic. if you notice any of these signs call your vet.

Question: My dog has just been diagnosed with AUTOIMMUNE HEMOLYTIC ANEMIA - can anyone who prays pray for him to recover He's undergoing a blood transfusion and drug therapy and the veterinarian isn't holding out much hope, but as I don't have kids, he's pretty much my son. If anyone reading this prays, can you pray for him to get well? I don't care who you pray to, God, Jesus, the saints, Mary, Gaea, Allah, it really doesn't matter. Please just pray for him. Thank you, and blessings.

Answer: I will pray to Saint Martin de Porres one of the saint patrons of animals.

Question: Idiopathic autoimmune hemolytic anemia chances of dying? my GF has it i need to know what the chance are... ahh she is 13 turning 14 If she get meidcal Attection she will be alive right she going through surgery she gonna live right?

Answer: Idiopathic autoimmune hemolytic anemia is an acquired disease that occurs when antibodies form against a person's own red blood cells. In the idiopathic form of this disease, the cause is unknown. There are other types of immune hemolytic anemias where the cause may result from an underlying disease or medication. Idiopathic autoimmune hemolytic anemia accounts for one-half of all immune hemolytic anemias. The onset of the disease may be quite rapid and very serious. Risk factors are not known. Adults may have chronic, relapsing disease, but in children the anemia is usually short-lived.

Question: Is anyone out there familiar with autoimmune hemolytic anemia? My 4 yr old has it and I know that its fairly rare. I am especially interested in hearing from parents that have children with it.

Answer: Hello, I have an autoimmune disorder called "APECED" Basically with all autoimmune disorders the bodies own immune system is a bit confused and starts attacking good healthy tissues just like it would with a common cold virus. In the anemia it is attacking the places that produce the red blood cells so as more and more are discarded "naturally" there are less to replace them with. Causing a shortage or "Anemia" There are immuno suppresive drugs out there but it was recommended to me that that would be a bad choice, as stopping your immune system would essentually make you "like" having HIV. The less immune system you have may help the anemia but it will also allow you to get every sickness out there... Hope this helps... You can check into this more at this site, www.wrongdiagnosis.com also try www.NORD.com