Warm antibody autoimmune hemolytic anemia is often secondary to which diseases?

• A. SLE and lymphoma
• B. Diabetes mellitus and thyroiditis
• C. Celiac disease and Crohn's disease
• D. Rheumatoid arthritis and MS

Answer: (A)

Warm antibody autoimmune hemolytic anemia is driven by IgG autoantibodies that react with red cells at body temperature, leading to hemolysis that is often seen as an underlying problem rather than a primary process. When AIHA is secondary, it most commonly tracks with systemic autoimmune diseases and with lymphoid malignancies. Systemic lupus erythematosus is a classic scenario because autoimmunity in SLE frequently involves autoantibody production against red cell antigens, causing warm AIHA. Lymphomas, especially B‑cell types, can produce autoantibodies or disrupt immune regulation in a way that promotes hemolysis. The other pairs don’t fit as well: diabetes mellitus and thyroiditis are autoimmune but not the typical associations for warm AIHA; inflammatory bowel diseases like celiac and Crohn’s are not classically linked to warm AIHA; rheumatoid arthritis can be associated with AIHA but less commonly, and multiple sclerosis is not a typical cause.