Chronic haemolytic anaemia in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

A patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was found to have a chronic intravascular haemolytic anaemia. After investigation this was attributed to the abnormal haemodynamics of the cardiac disease. Treatment with propranolol was associated with an improvement in the anaemia. No further cases of haemolytic anaemia were found in 37 other patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It is concluded that haemolytic anaemia is a very rare feature of the condition.