Hemolytic crisis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Treatment

Hemolytic crisis

Alternative Names:

Hemolysis - acute

Home Care:

Consult your health care provider.

Call your health care provider if:

Your urine appears red, red-brown, or brownish (tea-colored) due to hemoglobin in the urine.
You experience fatigue, pale skin, or other symptoms of anemia, especially if they worsen or if new symptoms develop.
You notice a decrease in the volume of urine produced.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

Emergency treatment may be necessary. This may include hospitalization, administration of oxygen, blood transfusions, and other treatments.

When your condition is stable, your medical history will be obtained and a physical examination will be performed.

Medical history questions documenting hemolytic crisis in detail may include the following:

When did you first notice symptoms?
What symptoms did you notice?
Do you have a known medical history of a hemolytic anemia, G6PD deficiency, or kidney disorder?
Have you ever experienced this before?
- Was hospitalization required?
- What was the treatment?
- What was the outcome?

The physical examination may occasionally show enlargement of the spleen (splenomegaly).

Diagnostic tests may include the following:

CBC
Blood chemistry studies to check the kidney function (BUN and creatinine level)
Kidney or abdominal ultrasound
Kidney or abdominal CT scan
Other tests depending on the suspected cause of the hemolytic crisis

Review Date: 4/15/2005
Reviewed By: Rita Nanda, MD, Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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