How to Diagnose Hemolytic Anemia

Anemia comes in forms that range from the mild to the pernicious, and one of the more severe forms is hemolytic anemia. Hemolytic anemia isn't simply a low-iron condition that results in low energy but is an illness in which the bone marrow can't produce enough red blood cells to compensate for the amount being lost. As with most conditions, the sooner you diagnose hemolytic anemia the sooner you can get treatment.

Things You'll Need

• Doctor's appointment
• Lab

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Instructions

Test for Anemia to Diagnose It

• 1

  Have your doctor send you to a lab to be tested for anemia. If you prefer going to a lab without a doctor's orders, call your local lab and tell the laboratory technician that you want to schedule an anemia test.

• 2

  Have blood drawn. Unlike other blood tests, the test for anemia doesn't require fasting or other special actions before the blood is drawn.

• 3

  Wait for your results. When you receive them, discuss the red blood cell count and iron content of the blood with your physician. The numbers will indicate the presence or absence of an anemic condition.

Establish That the Anemia Involves Hemolysis

• 4

  Schedule a "reticulocyte count" if anemia exists and if the doctor thinks that it may be due to bone marrow red blood cell production factors, rather than blood loss or diet.

• 5

  Ask your doctor about "smear" tests, during which lab technicians can peruse the number and health of red blood cells within a sample.

Take Action

• 6

  Discuss the severity of your condition with your doctor if she does diagnose hemolytic anemia. This condition can range from mild to life-threatening.

• 7

  Talk about possible treatments. Steroid therapy and blood transfusions are two options, but your doctor may want to work with an experimental approach, such as stem cell transplants. Once your doctor diagnoses your illness as hemolytic anemia, any research you can do will help boost your confidence and sense of control over the illness.