Concurrent reactive arthritis, Graves' disease, and warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia: A case report

Abstract

Warm antibody autoimmune hemolytic anemia is due to the presence of warm agglutinins that react with protein antigens on the surface of red blood cells causing premature destruction of circulating red blood cells. We report the first case of concurrent reactive arthritis, Graves' disease, and autoimmune hemolytic anemia. A 40-year-old man with reactive arthritis, Graves' disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, mitral valve prolapse, and Gilbert's disease presented with a one month history of jaundice, fatigue, and black stools. After diagnosis of warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia, the patient was started on prednisone 1 mg/kg with rapid improvement in his anemia and jaundice. Our subject's mother and possibly his maternal grandmother also had autoimmune hemolytic anemia, which raises the possibility of hereditary autoimmune hemolytic anemia, a rarely reported condition. © 2009 Chiang and Packer; licensee Cases Network Ltd.