Healthcare providers diagnose the condition by evaluating your symptoms, asking questions about your medical history and biological family medical history, and by doing several tests. This test may include:
- Complete blood count (CBC): This test gives healthcare providers information about your blood and overall health.
- Peripheral blood smear: Healthcare providers do this test to examine your blood cells’ size and shape.
- Reticulocyte count: Healthcare providers measure reticulocytes to find out if your bone marrow is producing enough healthy red blood cells.
- Direct antiglobulin (Coombs) test: This test checks for autoimmune hemolytic anemia.
- Bilirubin level: This is a blood test to check for high bilirubin levels.
- Red cell osmotic fragility: This test detects whether red blood cells are likely to break down.
- Plasma membrane electrophoresis: This is a technique that uses gel or fluid on an electric field to identify DNA, RNA or proteins. Healthcare providers use this test to identify which red cell membrane protein has mutated or changed.