Anaemia Flashcards
What is anaemia?
Anaemia is defined as a low concentration of haemoglobin in the blood. This is the consequence of an underlying disease, not a disease itself.
What is haemoglobin?
Haemoglobin is a protein found in red blood cells. Haemoglobin is responsible for picking up oxygen in the lungs and transporting it to the body’s cells. Iron is essential in creating haemoglobin and forms part of it’s structure.
Anaemia is divided up into 3 categories based on mean cell volume:
-microcytic- low MCV
-normocytic- normal MCV
-macrocytic- large MCV
Causes of microcytic anaemia (mneumonic)
TAILS
Thalassaemia (inherited blood disorder that causes your body to have less haemoglobin)
Anaemia of chronic disease
Iron deficiency anaemia
Lead poisoning
Sideroblastic anaemia (the body produces enough iron but is unable to put it into haemoglobin)
-anaemia of chronic disease often occurs with chronic kidney disease due to reduced production of erythropoietin by the kidneys, the hormone responsible for stimulating red blood cell production and treatment is with erythropoietin.
Causes of normocytic anaemia
3 As and 2 Hs
Acute blood loss
Anaemia of chronic disease
Aplastic anaemia (bone marrow doesn’t make enough blood cells)
Haemolytic anaemia (red blood cells are destroyed faster than they can be made)
Hypothyroidism
Macrocytic anaemia can be…
-megaloblastic or normoblastic
Causes of megaloblastic anaemia
-megaloblastic anaemia results from impaired DNA synthesis, preventing the cells from dividing normally. Rather than dividing, they grow into large abnormal cells.
-B12 deficiency
-folate deficiency
Normoblastic anaemia is caused by…
-alcohol
-reticulocytosis (usually from haemolytic anaemia or blood loss) (reticulocytes=immature red blood cells)
-hypothyroidism
-liver disease
-drugs, such as azathioprine (immunosuppressant e.g. RA)
What is reticulocytosis?
An increased concentration of reticulocytes (immature red blood cells). This happens when there is a rapid turnover of red blood cells, such as with haemolytic anaemia or blood loss.
Symptoms of anaemia
tiredness, SOB, headaches, dizziness, palpitations, worsening of other conditions, such as angina, heart failure or peripheral arterial disease
Symptoms specific to iron deficiency anaemia
-pica (dietary craving for abnormal things, such as dirt or soil)
-hair loss
Signs of anaemia
-pale skin
-conjunctival pallor
-tachycardia
-raised respiratory rate
What does Koilonychia (spoon-shaped nails) indicate?
Iron deficiency anaemia
What does angular cheilitis indicate?
iron deficiency anaemia
atrophic glossitis indicates…
iron deficiency anaemia
