Anaemia Flashcards
What is the definition of anaemia in men and women?
Men: <135 g/L
Women: <115 g/L
3 broad causes of anaemia based on mechanism and size
- decreased hB production
- Increased Hb consumption
- Dilutional anaemia
size: microcytic, macrocytic, normocytic
Causes of microcytic anaemia (FAST)
- F- Fe- iron deficiency anaemia
- A: anaemia of chornic disease
- S-siderbalstic anaemia
- T- thalassamiea (may not have anaemia if it is mild- eg thalassameia triat)
Causes of normocytic anaemia
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A: anaemia of chronic disease
H: hypothyoridism
F: failure of bone marrow
P: pregnancy causing dilutional anaemia due to increase in plasma volume
Causes of macrocytic anaemia
FATRBC
Fetus (pregnancy)
Antifolates (eg phenytoin)
Thyroid (hypothyroidism)- thyroid hormone is required to produce EPO
Reticulocytosis -
B12 or folate deficiency
Cirrhosis (alcohol excess OR liver disease)
Other haem causes: Myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloproliferative disorders, multiple myeloma
Iron deficiency anaemia: iron studies, FBC, blood film, management
- microcytic anaemia
Iron studies
- low Fe
- low ferritin
- high transferrin
- high TIBC
Blood film
- pencil cells (aka cigar cells)
FBC
reactive thrombocytosis
Management
Ferrous sulphate and investigate underlying cause
Thalassaemia: key features
Blood film
basophillic stippling - aggregation of ribosomes
target cells
micocytic anaemia
iron studies
NORMAL
management
transfusions
iron chelation
Sideroblastic anaemia: key features
causes: congenital or acquired
**you have enough iron but body cannot incorporate it into haemoglobin so it builds up in diff places**
- iron accumulation within the bone marrow leading to ineffective erythropoiesis. you also get iron deposition in other parts leading to endocrine, liver and cardiac damage.
causes- myelodysplastic disorders, following chemotherapy, irradiation, alcohol excess, lead poisoning, anti-TB drugs or myeloprolfierative disease
blood film
basophilic stippling
bone marrow
ring sideroblasts
iron studies
- high iron
- high ferritin
- low transferrin
- low TIBC
management
treat underlying cause
PYRIDOXINE (vitamin B6) - aids with erythrpoiesis
anaemia of chronic disease
causes- infection, inflammation, malignancy
iron studies
- low iron
- raised ferrtin
- low transferrin- low TIBC
(same as sideroblastic anaemia)
+ RAISED CRP AND ESR
causes of megaloblastic anaemia and how to differentiate between them
causes of non-megaloblastic anaemia and how to differentiate between them
how to classify normocytic anaemia??
- Haemolytic
a) inherited - membrane, haemoglobin, metabolism
b) acquired
- autoimmune - warm vs cold
- alloimmune - rehsus or abo incomaptibility - Non-haemolytic
- anaemia of chronic disease
- failure of erythropoiesis
How to split up haemolytic anaemias?
**don’t forget that metallic heart valves can cause haemolytic anaemia**
**cancers can cause MAHA**
how to classify haemolysis (DIFF FROM CLASSIFICATION OF HAEMOLYTIC ANAEMIAS!!)
*with intravascular haemolysis the rbc get excreted through kidneys
classification of inherited haemolytic anaemias
types of red blood cell membrane disorders
- vertical interaction: hereditary spherocytosis
- horizontal interaction: hereditary elliptocytosis
**alphabetical order- he, vs**
guidelines for when to suspect rbc membrane disorders?
basc when you’ve ruled out everything else!!
when do you see retiuclocytes on blood film?
features of hereditary spherocytosis
inheritance- autosomal dominant
**in qs: often father has splenectomy**
blood film- spherocytes, polychromasia
test- positive osmotic fragility, positive eosin-5-maelimide test (MOST SENSITIVE)
treatment - folate supplementation, splenectomy (as you get extravascular haemolysis)
G6PD: inheritance
x linked recessive
**usually affects males**
g6pd: pathophysiology
G6PD generates NADPH via pentose phosphate pathway
Episodes of acute haemolysis following exposure to oxidative stress (e.g. fava beans, mothballs, drugs)
**NB: it’s generaly ACUTE haemolysis, very rarely chronic
Clinical consequences: common cause of neonatal jaundice
g6pd: blood film
bite cells (because macrophages take a BITE), heinz bodies, hemighost cells
*heinz bodies only seen when you stain with methyl-violet.*
(this is during an episode of acute haemolysis)
g6pd: treatment
avoidance of triggers
g6pd: type of haemolysis
intravascular haemolysis
low haptoglobins,increased unconjugated bilirubin, haemoglobinuria, high LDH
Which drugs can cause haemolysis in G6PD deficiency?
basically all sulfa drugs can cause haemolysis
sulph- drugs: sulphonamides, sulphasalazine and sulfonylureas can trigger haemolysis
what antibodies present in warm aha
IgG
antibodies in cold aha
IgM
causes of cold vs warm aha
warm: associated with CLL, SLE, Methyldopa (basc non infectious)
cold: associated with mycoplasma, EBV, Hep C (basc infections)
_____________________
passmed:
Warm AIHA
Warm is the most common type of AIHA. In warm AIHA the antibody (usually IgG) causes haemolysis best at body temperature and haemolysis tends to occur in extravascular sites, for example the spleen.
Causes of warm AIHA
idiopathic
autoimmune disease: e.g. systemic lupus erythematosus*
neoplasia
lymphoma
chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
drugs: e.g. methyldopa
Management
treatment of any underlying disorder
steroids (+/- rituximab) are generally used first-line
Cold AIHA
The antibody in cold AIHA is usually IgM and causes haemolysis best at 4 deg C. Haemolysis is mediated by complement and is more commonly intravascular. Features may include symptoms of Raynaud’s and acrocynaosis. Patients respond less well to steroids
Causes of cold AIHA
neoplasia: e.g. lymphoma
infections: e.g. mycoplasma, EBV
*systemic lupus erythematosus can rarely be associated with a mixed-type autoimmune haemolytic anaemia
what type of haemolysis does cold vs warm aha cause
warm- extravascular
cold- intravascular
how to treat AHA?
same for cold and warm
treat underlying cause
steroids
rituximab (anti CD20)
pathophysiology of MAHA
non-immune mediated small vessel disease
endothelial damage–>platelet aggretation, fibrin aggregation. RBC get stuck within the small blood vessels and haemolysed.
blood film in MAHA
schistocytes, thrombocytopaenia
which disorders do you see maha in?
hus, ttp, dic
how to distinguish causes of maha using clotting tests?
TTP+HUS: normal PT, APTT and fibrinogen
DIC: prolonged PT and APTT, low fibrinogen
what causes HUS?
Escherichia coli O157:H7 – Shiga-like toxin
epideiology of HUS
More frequent but less severe in children
triad of symptoms in HUS + management
MAHA, thrombocytopaenia, acute renal failure. self limiting in children
often after an episode of diarrheoa
managemebt- supportive
TTP pentad
MAHA, thrombocytopaenia, acute renal failure, fever, neuroligical symptoms
what defect causes TTP
deficiency of ADAMSTS enzyme.
this causes overactiivty of vWF–> too much clotting
**this can be inherited or acquired*
why is it important to catch TTP?
because it has high mortality rate.
need to catch early to treat quickly with supportive care and plasma exchange (to remove the antibodies that are attacking ADAMSTs13 enzyme)
**the reason it affects the brain selectively to cause neuro symptoms is because the brian is particularly susceptible to ischameia*
summarise the physiology of haemoglobin
- 4 globin chains surround haem group
- globin chains coded for by alpha and beta genes
- we have 4 alpha genes and 2 beta genes
- types of haemoglobin:
a) HbA: 2 alpha, 2 beta (>95% of adult Hb)
b) HbA2: 2 alpha, 2 gamma (<3% of adult Hb)
c) HbF: 2 alpha, 2 delta (<1% if adult Hb, more common in babies)
Which part of Hb does alpha thalassaemia, beta thalassaemia, SCD and HbH disease affect?
Alpha thalassaemia and HbH disease affect the alpha globin gene.
Beta thalssaemia and SCD affect the beta globin gene
What is the embryonic form of haemoglobin?
Hb gower/ portland.
ζ2ε2
(2 zeta, 2 epsilon)
Levels of different haemoglobin genes over time
Summary:
- alpha stays high throughout
- beta was ow in foetal stage, increases ina dulthood
- gamma was high in foetal stage and then decreases in adulthood
- delta was nonexistent in foetal stage, increases in adulthoot but levels are always low
- zeta and episilon only present in foetal stage
Describe the pathophysology of sickle cell disease
- substitution mutation in codon 6 of the beta globin gene
- GAG–>GTG (glutamine–>valine)
- gives rise to HbS instead of HbA
–> in conditions of low oxygen tension, you get polymerisation of HbS and resultant sickling.