IgM-mediated Warm Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia: An Autopsy Report

A 79-year-old man with Sjögren's syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus developed acute impaired consciousness and hemolytic anemia. The patient's red blood cells agglutinated spontaneously at 25-37°C. The treatment of red blood cells with 2-mercaptoethanol resulted in the loss of spontaneous agglutination. A diagnosis of IgM-mediated warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia was made. The patient received steroid pulse and plasma exchange therapies. Rituximab was also administered. However, the patient died from multiple organ failure at six days from the symptom onset. The clinical progress of the patient and autopsy findings suggested that complement activation might have been associated with the pathology.