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Cooling mattress induced acute hemolytic anemia
1Department of Pathology, State University of New York, Syracuse, New York, USA.
Transfusion
|March 1, 1974
Summary
Mycoplasma pneumonia can cause cold agglutinins, leading to hemolytic anemia. Vigorous cooling mattress treatment for fever may worsen this anemia in affected patients.
Area of Science:
- Internal Medicine
- Hematology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common respiratory pathogen.
- Cold agglutinins are antibodies that bind to red blood cells at low temperatures.
- Hemolytic anemia is a condition where red blood cells are destroyed faster than they are made.
Observation:
- A patient with Mycoplasma pneumonia presented with cold agglutinins and hemolytic anemia.
- The hemolytic anemia was likely exacerbated by the use of a cooling mattress to treat hyperpyrexia.
Findings:
- High titers of cold agglutinins in patients with Mycoplasma pneumonia can lead to significant hemolysis when exposed to cold.
- Cooling mattress therapy, while effective for hyperpyrexia, poses a risk in patients with cold agglutinins.
Implications:
- Clinicians should consider the risk of cold agglutinin-mediated hemolytic anemia when treating Mycoplasma pneumonia patients with fever.
- Alternative or cautious methods for fever management should be employed in patients with high cold agglutinin titers.