Auto-immune haemolytic anaemia in ulcerative colitis.

We report 2 patients with auto-immune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) complicating ulcerative colitis (UC), each with a hitherto undescribed feature. In the 1st case, direct antiglobulin test showed red cells coated with complement only, and the 2nd case was successfully treated with danazol. These 2 patients bring to 40 the number of cases of AIHA associated with UC. A review of the clinical details suggests that the patients may be divided into two distinct groups. In the first (4/40), AIHA seems to occur as an auto-immune event independent of the activity of UC; in the second group (36/40), AIHA is apparently dependent on active colitis, i.e. control of colitis is crucial to control haemolysis.