Anaemia Flashcards
What is anaemia?
Anaemia is present when there is a decrease in Hb in the blood below the reference level for the age and sex of the individual
What are normal Hb values for men?
13.5 to 17.5 grams per deciliter
What are normal Hb values for women?
12.0 to 15.5 grams per deciliter
What factors would you use to classify anaemia?
Hb serum values
Mean corpuscular volume
Appearance of red blood cells
What are the different types of anaemia related to macrocytes?
Vitamine B12 deficiency, folate deficiency (megaloblastic)
Alcohol, liver disease, hypothyroidism, drug therapy (normoblastic)
What are the different types of anaemia related to microcytes?
Iron deficiency
Anaemia of chronic disease
Thalassaemia
What are the different types of anaemia related to normal-sized cells?
Acute blood loss
Anaemia of chronic disease
Chronic Kidney disease
Autoimmune rheumatic disease
What are the symptoms of anaemia?
- Fatigue, headaches and faintness
- Breathlessness
- Angina
- Intermittent claudication
- Palpitations.
What are the signs of anaemia?
- Pallor
- Tachycardia
- Systolic flow murmur
- Cardiac failure
What investigations would you do if you suspected anaemia?
- Red cell indices
- White blood cell count
- Platelet countThe reticulocyte count (as this indicates marrow activity)
- The blood film, as abnormal red cell morphology
What are causes of iron deficient anaemia?
Inadequate intake Being unable to absorb iron H. pylori Chronic blood loss due to frequent or heavy periods in women or by gastrointestinal (GI) bleeds from upper GI ulcers or inflammatory bowel disease Pregnancy Blood loss
What are the signs of iron deficient anaemia?
- Brittle nails
- Spoon-shaped nails (koilonychia)
- Atrophy of the papillae of the tongue
- Angular stomatitis
- Brittle hair
How would you manage iron-deficient anaemia?
Iron supplements
What iron supplements could you give to treat iron-deficient anaemia?
Ferrous fumarate 200mg
Ferrous gluconate 300mg
Ferrous sulfate 300mg
What are two main types of anaemia?
- Microcytic anaemia
2. Macrocytic anaemia