7 - Anaemia, B12 and Folate Flashcards
How is vitamin B12 absorbed?
- Obtained from animal origin so vegans need supplement
- B12 binds to haptocorrin from salivary glands
- Parietal cells in stomach release intrinsic factor and HCl
- Haptocorrin B12 complex digested by pancreatic proteases in SI
- Release B12 binds to glycoprotein IF
- In terminal ileum B12-IF complex binds to receptors
- Once internalised B12 binds to transcobalamin II to be delivered in blood to tissues with receptor for complex
What class of anaemia are anaemias with reticulocytosis?
Macrocytic
What are some causes of microcytic anaemia?
- Anaemia of chronic disease most commonly normocytic
What are the different classifications of anaemia, and give some examples for each type?
Reticulocytosis not haemolytic anaemia
What is the definition of anaemia and what are some symptoms?
- Hb concentration lower than normal range, depending on age, sex and ethnicity
- Acute symptoms: fatigue, dysponea, palpitations and headache. Underlying vascular disease may have angina and intermittent claudication
- Long term signs: pallor, tachycardia, tachypnoea, hypotension
What are some defects in haemoglobin synthesis that lead to anaemia?
- Deficiences in essential nutrients, e.g iron, B12, folate
- Globin gene mutations, e.g thalassaemia
- Anaemia of chronic disease e.g causing iron deficiency
What do you need to be careful of when given vitamin B12 deficient patients transfusions and IM injections?
- Hypokalaemia due to increased RBC production
- Cardiac failure with transfusion as heart will be more muscular to combat Vit B12 anaemia
What are different cause of anaemia in general?
Why are symptoms of anaemia not that bad if they develop over a long period of time?
Body has time to adjust by increasing cardiac stroke volume and increase concentration fo 2,3-BPG
What is sideroblastic anaemia?
Inherited disorder where ringed sideroblasts are produced by bone marrow as bone marrow cannot incorpate iron into haemoglobin as it is trapped in the mitochondria
(Iron around normoblast nucleus)
If you have a severe deficiency of B12 and Folate what will eventually occur secondary to anaemia?
Pancytopenia
What is megaloblastic anaemia?
Associated with B12 and Folate deficiency as they are building blocks in DNA synthesis so nuclear maturation and divison lag behind cytoplasm growth
- Macrocytic RBC
- Anisopoikilocytosis with tear drops and ovals
- Hypersegmented neutrophils
PICTURE BELOW WITH LARGE NUCLEI WITH OPEN CHROMATIN IN BONE MARROW
Why can abnormal metabolism in red blood cells cause anaemia?
- No ATP produced to maintain the cell integrity so membrane is damaged and spleen removes
- Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency
- Pyruvate Kinase deficiency
What are some issues with the reticuloendothelial system that can lead to anaemia?
- Splenomegaly: pooling of blood and RBC
- Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia with autoantibodies
What are some causes of macrocytic anaemia with low reticulocyte count?
- Liver disease
- Myelodysplasia
- Liver disease
- B12 and Folate deficiency
- Hypothyroidism
- Alcohol
(non megaloblastic means no issue with DNA synthesis)