Introduction. Autoimmune cytopenias can significantly affect the overall prognosis and treatment tactics of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The problem of autoimmune hemolysis and autosensitization among patients with indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) requires deeper study and analysis.

Aim. The aim was to establish the frequency of autoimmune hemolytic process in patients with indolent B-NHL according to the degree of aggressiveness of the disease and to assess immunohematological laboratory markers of hemolysis.

Materials and methods. We examined 16 patients with indolent B-NHL with stage I-IV of the disease. They were 8 men (aged from 37 to 75 years) and 8 women (aged from 38 to 78 years). The reference group consisted of 28 venous blood samples from healthy individuals. The following methods were used: hematological (complete blood count), immunohematological (gel micromethod, Bio-Rad, USA), biochemical (determination of bilirubin level, erythrocyte osmotic and peroxide stability).

Results. 25% of patients with indolent B-NHL had an autoimmune hemolytic component. As a rule, antibodies were detected without clinical manifestations of hemolysis, at low concentrations, hemolysin forms prevailed over agglutinin forms three times. An autoimmune antierythrocyte reaction of the complementary type was observed in patients with stage III of the disease, cold agglutinins and cold acid hemolysins was observed in patients with stage IV, warm acid hemolysins were observed in patients with stages I and II. 37% of patients had a decrease of erythrocyte osmotic stability, 100% of patients had a decrease of erythrocyte peroxide stability.

Conclusions. 25% of patients with indolent B-NHL had signs of autoimmune hemolytic process formation with intravascular mechanism of erythrocyte destruction. There is a tendency towards its development in women and the elderly. Activation of autoimmune hemolysis (especially with cold forms of antibodies and complementary type of autoimmune reaction) accompanies aggressive course of indolent B-NHL and requires correction of treatment tactics.

Keywords: autosensitization, indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma, autoimmune antierythrocyte antibodies.