2024 Volume 61 Issue 3 Pages 292-296
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) in children is rare, and only a few cases have been reported regarding its long-term clinical course. Here, we present a case of AIHA that developed into prolactinoma 11 years after diagnosis in a 4-year-old girl with severe anemia. The hemoglobin level was dependent on the corticosteroid dosage, but partial improvement was achieved with rituximab treatment. Mild anemia persisted, but steroid treatment was completed 1.5 years after diagnosis. Blood tests revealed low complement levels and positive autoantibodies six years after diagnosis. The classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus was met 11 years after diagnosis, but had no clinical symptoms besides hemolytic anemia. Additionally, she had irregular menstruation and elevated serum prolactin levels, and a prolactinoma was diagnosed on magnetic resonance imaging. Currently, no case report has described prolactinoma in AIHA. Conversely, prolactinoma is observed in 20–30% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and associated with autoimmune diseases.
