Rarely, anemia is due to problems that cause the red blood cells (RBCs) to die or be destroyed prematurely. Normally, red cells live in the blood for about 4 months. In hemolytic anemia, this time is shortened, sometimes to only a few days. The bone marrow is not able to produce new RBCs quickly enough to replace those that have been destroyed, leading to a decreased number of RBCs in the blood, which in turn leads to a diminished capacity to supply oxygen to tissues throughout the body. This results in the typical symptoms of anemia including: weakness and-or fatigue; lack of energy. Depending on the cause, different forms of hemolytic anemia can be chronic, developing and lasting over a long period or lifetime, or may be acutesigns and symptoms. The various forms can have a wide range of signs and symptoms. The different causes of hemolytic anemia fall into two main categories: Inherited forms in which a gene or genes are passed from one generation to the next that result in abnormal RBCs or hemoglobin; Acquired forms in which some factor other than inherited results in the early destruction of RBCs.