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
What do the 3A’s and 2H’s stand for?
A – Acute blood loss A – Anaemia of Chronic Disease A – Aplastic Anaemia H – Haemolytic Anaemia H – Hypothyroidism
What is macrocytic anaemia?
Large MCV- Large red blood cells
What are the 2 types of macrocytic anaemia?
Megaloblastic macrocytic anaemia
Normoblastic macrocytic anaemia
What is the cause of Megaloblastic macrocytic anaemia?
Impaired DNA synthesis
Prevents cell from dividing normally
What happens to the cell in Megaloblastic macrocytic anaemia instead of dividing?
Grows into a larger abnormal cell
What is the main cause of megaloblastic macrocytic anaemia?
Vitamin Deficiency
What vitamin deficiency leads to megaloblastic macrocytic anaemia?
- B12 deficiency
* Folate deficiency
What are the causes of Normoblastic macrocytic anaemia?
- Alcohol
- Reticulocytosis (usually from haemolytic anaemia or blood loss)
- Hypothyroidism
- Liver disease
- Drugs such as azathioprine
What are some generic symptoms of anaemia?
- Tiredness
- Shortness of breath
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Palpitations
What are some generic signs of anaemia?
- Pale skin
- Conjunctival pallor
- Tachycardia
- Raised respiratory rate
What are some examples of investigations you could carry out for anaemia?
- Haemoglobin
- Mean Cell Volume (MCV)
- B12
- Folate
- Ferritin
- Blood film
