Tests of haemolysis
How to read the haemolysis screen: reticulocyte count, LDH, unconjugated bilirubin, haptoglobin and the direct antiglobulin test, with their reference ranges, typical patterns (intravascular, extravascular, ineffective erythropoiesis, spurious), accuracy and traps.
Tier 2Medical sciences concept
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- No single test proves haemolysis. Read a pattern: anaemia with high reticulocytes, high LDH, high unconjugated bilirubin and low haptoglobin.
- The DAT answers a different question: is the haemolysis immune? A positive DAT without the other markers isn't haemolysis.
- Then the film finds the mechanism. Causes, film findings and targeted tests are in Haemolytic disorders; where haemolysis sits in the anaemia work-up is in Anaemia.
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Sources
- The diagnosis and management of primary autoimmune haemolytic anaemiaHill QA et al., Br J Haematol 2017;176:395-411 (British Society for Haematology), 2017
- Diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune hemolytic anemia in adults: recommendations from the First International Consensus MeetingJäger U et al., Blood Rev 2020;41:100648, 2020
- The predictive value of serum haptoglobin in hemolytic diseaseMarchand A, Galen RS, Van Lente F, JAMA 1980;243:1909-11, 1980
- Diagnosis and management of cold agglutinin diseaseBerentsen S, Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program 2025;2025(1):295-304, 2025
- RCPA Manual: haptoglobin, lactate dehydrogenase, reticulocyte count, direct antiglobulin testAU/NZRoyal College of Pathologists of Australasia
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Personal emails, About story and Australian-style copy