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Description

Paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria (PCH) is a rare autoimmune disorder in which red blood cells are destroyed by the body's own immune system. It is characterized by episodes of hemoglobinuria, or the presence of hemoglobin in the urine, which occur after exposure to cold temperatures. Symptoms of PCH include fatigue, pallor, and dark urine. Treatment typically involves the use of immunosuppressive medications to reduce the body's immune response and prevent further destruction of red blood cells.

Synonyms

• paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria
• PCH

Symptoms (patient's findings)

• abdominal distention
• abdominal pain
• asthenia
• back pain
• chills
• crushing chest pain
• diarrhea
• difficulty swallowing
• dizziness
• erectile dysfunction
• fatigue
• fever
• foreign body throat feeling
• headache
• nausea
• regurgitation
• shortness of breath
• vomiting

Signs (examiner's findings)

• esophageal dyskinesia
• hepatomegaly
• jaundice
• pallor
• urticaria

Basic Lab Tests (measurements)

• plasma
  •      hemoglobin
• serum
  •      direct bilirubin
  •      iron
  •      bilirubin
  •      indirect bilirubin
  •      lactate dehydrogenase
  •      iron binding capacity
• urine
  •      urobilinogen
  •      brown urine
  •      hemoglobin
  •      urine color
  •      red-brown urine
  •      red urine
  •      orange urine
• vital signs
  •      temperature
• whole blood
  •      hemoglobin
  •      macrocytes
  •      reticulocytes
  •      fluorescent aerolysin cells
  •      mean corpuscular volume
  •      polychromasia
  •      CD59
  •      mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration
  •      hematocrit
  •      poikilocytosis
  •      CD55
  •      anisocytosis
  •      erythrocytes
  •      nucleated erythrocytes
  •      spherocytes
  •      glycosylated hemoglobin

Detailed Disease and Condition Information (use the search buttons below to find details on these topics)
All of the following must be considered when interpreting clinical findings and are too extensive to be covered on this site: