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You will find everything you want to know about breaking red blood cells in this article and other information about it.
Dear reader, here comes the most important information that interests you related to the breakdown of red blood cells, or what is known as hemolysis:
Red blood cells are broken
Erythrocytosis is the premature destruction of red blood cells, which occurs due to many and varied causes.
In the normal state, red blood cells are manufactured in the bone marrow, and their life cycle lasts approximately 120 days, and then they die. After the death of these cells, they begin to dissolve, and the spleen rids the body of these dissolved cells.
On the other hand, the bone marrow produces new red cells to compensate for the deficiency, as this process is continuous and in a state of balance between production and dissolution.
But in the event of an imbalance in this balance, so that the rate of breakage of pellets is more than the rate of their production, this leads to a shortage of red blood cells, and this condition is called hemolytic anemia.
Reasons for breaking red blood cells
There are many causes and many pathological conditions that cause red blood cells to break, and these causes are divided into two main parts, as follows:
1. Causes resulting from genetic abnormalities in red blood cells
There are several factors and pathological conditions that lead to a defect in the structural structure of red blood cells, and these causes usually arise as a result of genetic defects or deformities, and these cases include the following:
Sickle cell anemia, which arises as a result of genetic mutations in the formation of hemoglobin in the blood.
Thalassemia, which results from a problem in the formation of hemoglobin in the blood.
Folliculitis, a hereditary disease caused by a deficiency of the enzyme glucose hexaphosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), which leads to premature hemolysis.
Hereditary spherocytosis, which occurs as a result of abnormalities in the cell membrane of red blood cells, which leads to an increase in their size and a change in shape from discoid to spherical.
2. Acquired causes unrelated to the structure of red blood cells
In addition to genetic causes, there are many other causes and pathological conditions that lead to hemolysis, and these cases are summarized as follows:
Having some autoimmune diseases, where antibodies attack and destroy red blood cells, including:
immune anemia.
Red lupus.
Sjögren''s syndrome.
Blood type mismatch.
Fetal erythroblastic disease, which occurs at birth as a result of incompatibility of the mother''s blood with that of the fetus.
blood cancer.
Bacterial infection.
splenomegaly.
Infection with viral hepatitis or human immunodeficiency virus.
HELLP syndrome, or preeclampsia, is a serious pregnancy complication related to high blood pressure.
Take some medications, as there is a wide range of medications that cause hemolysis, including:
Paracetamol.
Ceftriaxone.
Penicillin.
Interferon alpha.
antimalarials.
Poisoning with some toxic chemicals, such as
Metal poisoning.
Snake bite poisoning.
Symptoms of broken red blood cells
The symptoms of red blood cell breakage vary according to the causative factor, but there are many common symptoms that most patients with hemolysis suffer from, the most prominent of which are:
Headache.
pallor.
Jaundice, i.e. yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes and mouth.
fever.
Nausea or vomiting.
Tiredness and fatigue.
Dizziness and lightheadedness.
Difficulty concentrating.
Difficulty or shortness of breath.
muscle pain
Inability to perform daily activities.
extreme sleepiness
Dark colored urine.
Liver and spleen enlargement.
Elevated heart rate.
Heart murmur.
Diagnosis of broken red blood cells
The diagnosis of hemolysis depends on several basic factors, which include the type of symptoms felt by the patient, the medical history, and the clinical examination of the patient, in addition to conducting some diagnostic tests for the patient, and the following is a statement of the most prominent of these tests:
A blood count (CBC) test.
Examination of a blood sample (Blood Smear), where a sample of blood is taken and examined under a microscope to verify its number, size, and maturity.
Liver function check.
A urine test to check for hemoglobin in the urine.
Sometimes a bone marrow sample or biopsy may be required and examined under a microscope to check the number, size and maturity of blood cells or for abnormal cells.
Treatment of broken red blood cells
Treatment of hemolysis depends on a wide range of factors, which include age, general health of the patient, how bad the patient’s condition is, in addition to the causative factor of the disease, and based on what has been mentioned, the specialist doctor will develop an appropriate treatment plan for each patient equally.
The following are the most prominent treatments used in the treatment of hemolytic anemia
Transfusion.
Prescribing some medications, such as: cortisone.
Prescribing some medications to strengthen the immune system, such as: Immunoglobulin (IVGI).
Prescribing Rituximab in cases resulting from autoimmune diseases.
Splenectomy in severe cases.
