How do you know if you have cold or warm AIHA, and does a lower body temperature mean you have cold AIHA?
The type of AIHA you have isn't determined by your personal body temperature reading. Instead, it's based on when and how the autoantibodies attack your red blood cells.
Warm AIHA occurs when antibodies (specifically Show Full Answer
How do you know if you have cold or warm AIHA, and does a lower body temperature mean you have cold AIHA?
The type of AIHA you have isn't determined by your personal body temperature reading. Instead, it's based on when and how the autoantibodies attack your red blood cells.
Warm AIHA occurs when antibodies (specifically IgG) bind to and destroy red blood cells at normal body temperature (around 98.6°F). This happens inside your body at your core temperature.
Cold AIHA happens when antibodies attach to red blood cells at colder temperatures - typically when exposed to cold environments (37-39°F for cold agglutinin disease, or below 37°F for paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria).
Your slightly lower baseline body temperature doesn't indicate which type you have. The key difference is whether cold exposure triggers your symptoms.
Cold AIHA symptoms often include:
- Cold hands and feet
- Raynaud's phenomenon (numbness and color changes in fingers/toes when cold)
- Chest or leg pain in cold weather
- Symptoms that worsen with cold exposure
Warm AIHA symptoms typically include:
- Fatigue and dizziness
- Jaundice
- Irregular heartbeat
- Symptoms unrelated to temperature changes
Your doctor can determine which type you have through specific blood tests, including a cold agglutinin titer test for cold AIHA.
March 22
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