Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH)

Alternative names:

PNH

Symptoms:

• dark urine on arising in the morning that clears during the day
• abdominal pain
• back pain
• headache
• shortness of breath
• easy bruising or bleeding in the skin

Signs and tests:

A physical examination may show an enlarged spleen and liver.

• A CBC may show low white blood cell count, red blood cell count, and platelets.
• The sucrose hemolysis test is positive.
• A Ham's (acid hemolysin) test is positive.
• A urinalysis shows hemosiderin. and hemoglobin.

This disease may also alter the results of the following tests:

• leukocyte alkaline phosphatase
• hemoglobin; serum