Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia in Dogs (IMHA), Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia
Immune mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA), also known as auto-immune mediated hemolytic anemia (AIHA), is a disease in which the body's immune system, which is designed to attack and kill germs, attacks and kills the body's own red blood cells. The attack begins when antibodies, which are molecules made by the immune system to target germs, instead attach to and target the animal's own red blood cells for destruction. The red blood cells carry oxygen to the tissues, and the animal cannot survive without adequate oxygenation of the tissues.
The causes of IMHA remain largely unknown. While some cases of IMHA may be associated with a triggering event (cancer, infection, and perhaps even vaccinations), these events do not explain why the immune system misdirects its arsenal of weapons against the animal it is meant to protect.
IMHA is a rapidly life-threatening disease. Even with appropriate treatment, this disease can be fatal.
This Anemia is totally different from others
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