An Autoantibody with Anti‐Wrb Specificity in a Patient with Warm Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia

A patient with warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) has been found to possess an autoantibody with Wrb specificity. While this is the first known description of Wrb specificity in this disease, additional studies on the Wrb status of En(a-) cells indicate that autoantibodies previously thought to be anti-Ena are in reality also anti-Wrb. Autoantibodies with Wrb specificity may thus be a rather common finding in patients with AIHA who have been thought to have "panagglutinins" on their red blood cells. Since anti-Wra alloantibodies are found frequently in patients with AIHA, it seems possible that the Wright system holds some clue to the pathogenesis of this disease.