Anaemia Flashcards
What is anaemia?
Low levels of haemoglobin in the blood
What can anaemia be due to?
Reduction of RBC’s or haemoglobin
What are some things that are required to make RBC’s?
- Metal: iron
- Vitamins: B12, Folic acid
- Hormones: Erythropoietin
- Amino acids
What proteins are used to hold the shape of the red blood cell?
Skeletal proteins
When would you diagnose a patient with anaemia?
When they have low haemoglobin
What should you also check in a patient with anaemia?
The Mean Cell Volume (MCV)
What does the mean cell volume indicate?
The size of the red blood cell
What is anaemia divided into categories based on?
The MCV
What are the 3 categories for anaemia?
- Microcytic anaemia
- Normocytic anaemia
- Macrocytic anaemia
What is Microcytic anaemia based on?
Low MCV- small red blood cells
What are the causes of microcytic anaemia?
TAILS
What does TAILS stand for?
T – Thalassaemia A – Anaemia of chronic disease I – Iron deficiency anaemia L – Lead poisoning S – Sideroblastic anaemia
Why should new onset microcytic anaemia in elderly patients be urgently investigated?
To exclude underlying malignancy
What is normocytic anaemia?
Normal MCV indicating normal sized RBCs
What are the causes of normocytic anaemia?
3A’s and 2H’s