Warm autoantibodies

Warm autoantibodies (WAA) may occur at any age, and are more common in persons with autoimmune disease, B-cell malignancies (such as CLL), HIV infection, or with exposure to certain drugs such as cephalosporins and Septra. A minority of persons with positive WAA develops autoimmune hemolytic anemia, in which case the patient should be evaluated for signs of hemolysis (e.g., LDH, bilirubin, haptoglobin, and hematocrit determinations).