Hereditary Hemolytic Anemia with Increased Red Cell Adenosine Deaminase (45- to 70-fold) and Decreased Adenosine Triphosphate

Hereditary hemolytic anemia, a dominantly transmitted disorder, has affected 12 family members spanning three generations. The concentration of adenosine triphosphate in the red cells was about half that of comparably reticulocyte-rich blood. Since adenosine deaminase and adenosine kinase compete for a common substrate, the greatly increased activity of the former may interfere with nucleotide salvage via the latter.