Background: Severe refractory anemia during pregnancy can cause serious maternal and fetal complications. If the cause cannot be identified in time and accurately, blind symptomatic support treatment may cause serious economic burden. Thalassemia minor pregnancy is commonly considered uneventful, and the condition of anemia rarely progresses during pregnancy. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is rare during pregnancy with no exact incidence available.
Case summary: We report the case of a 30-year-old β-thalassemia minor multiparous patient experiencing severe refractory anemia throughout pregnancy. We monitored the patient closely, carried out a full differential diagnosis, made a diagnosis of direct antiglobulin test-negative AIHA, and treated her with prednisone and intravenous immunoglobulin. The patient gave birth to a healthy full-term baby.
Conclusion: Coombs-negative AIHA should be suspected in cases of severe hemolytic anemia in pregnant patients with and without other hematological diseases.
Keywords: Autoimmune hemolytic anemia; Case report; Direct antiglobulin test; Maternal anemia; Pregnancy; β-thalassemia minor.
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