A Case Report of Autoimmune Haemolytic Anaemia in Leptospirosis, a Rare Presentation
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic illness caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Leptospira, which causes diverse clinical manifestations and complications. Infection is biphasic, with a bacteraemic phase and an immune-mediated phase. A small number of patients will develop multiorgan failure. Transient thrombocytopenia is the most common haematological manifestation, while immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia is a very rare manifestation observed in humans. A 22-year-old previously healthy male presented with high-grade fever, body aches, and a background history of exposure to muddy water. He was managed for leptospirosis complicated with multiorgan failure. He developed a gradual drop of haemoglobin during the immune phase, clinical features and investigations were in favour of cold-type autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA), highlighting the importance of considering the occurrence and identifying the type of AIHA among patients with leptospirosis with multiorgan involvement.
Authors
- Sunil Bowattage (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1212-8960)
- K. D. Ellepola
- V. Balasubramaniam
- Vindya Gunawardena
- Nimali Samarakoon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1841-9087)
- M. F. W. Ferose
Publication Details
- Journal
- Sri Lanka Journal of Medicine
- Published
- 2025-08-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.4038/sljm.v34i2.574
- Primary Topic
- Leptospirosis research and findings
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00