Autoimmune hemolytic anemia associated with a formulation of traditional Chinese medicines

A case of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) after treatment with a Chinese herbal preparation is reported.

A 29-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with the primary complaints of jaundice, tea-colored urine, and fatigue lasting 10 days. Thirteen days prior, she went to a local private clinic seeking treatment for mild stomach pain and general malaise and was given weidean tablets. She took four tablets of weidean, a Chinese herbal preparation, orally three times daily for 2 days. After 2 days, she experienced fatigue, dizziness, and chest distress and subsequently discontinued treatment. Upon examination, she exhibited mild scleral and mucosal icterus. Her conjunctivas were pale, and her skin was slightly jaundiced. Preliminary laboratory tests found a low hemoglobin level and an elevated reticulocyte count. Biochemical tests showed an elevated total serum bilirubin concentration with indirect hyperbilirubinemia. Coombs' test results were positive for immunoglobulin G but negative for C3. All other test results were normal. The patient was diagnosed with AIHA secondary to weidean use, and she was treated promptly with oral prednisone, i.v. cimetidine, and oral sodium bicarbonate tablets. Seven days later, she showed clinical improvement. Her hemoglobin level rapidly increased to above 100 g/L, with a corresponding decrease in her reticulocyte count and serum bilirubin value over the next 8 days. She was discharged 15 days after admission and was asymptomatic at a three-week follow-up visit.

Weidean, a formulation of Chinese medicinal herbs and other constituents, was associated with AIHA in a woman taking the remedy for gastritis.