Aplastic Crisis in a Woman with Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia

Excerpt

Parvovirus B19 (B19) infection is associated with a variety of hematologic manifestations that include transient erythroid aplasia in immunocompetent individuals, chronic erythroid aplasia in immunocompromised hosts, aplastic crisis in patients with hemolytic anemia, and nonimmune hydrops fetalis [1]. The abrupt cessation of erythropoiesis following B19 infection in the patient with chronic hemolytic anemia results in a rapid drop in hemoglobin—the so-called aplastic crisis (B19-aplastic crisis). Infection with B19 may unmask an underlying hemolytic disease either inherited or acquired [2, 3]. B19-aplastic crisis has mostly been reported in patients with inherited hemolytic anemia and reports of its occurrence in acquired hemolytic anemia are rare; this is probably related to the number of patients at risk. …