Anaemia Flashcards
What is anaemia defined as?
Hb less that 13.5 in men and less than 11.5 in women
In which siruation will tere be an anaemia but red cell mass got up?
pregnancy
Name symptoms of anemia
breathlessness
lethargy
angina /Int. Claudication
Name 7 signs of anaemia
Conjunctival pallor koilonychia atrophic glossitis angular stomatitis high flow murmur tachycardia dysphagia (pharangeal web)
What is koilonychia?
spoon shaped nails
Give 3 examples of microcytic anaemia
IDA, thalassaemia, sideroblastic anaemia
Give 3 examples of normocytic anaemia
Acute blood loss, chronic disease, leukoerythroblastic
Give 5 examples of Macrocytic anaemia
Vit. B12 def., folate def. alcoholism, hypothyroidism, liver disease
What is the daily requirement of Iron?
1mg for normal adult
2mg for menstruating female
3mg for pregnant female
How much iron is taken in a western diet and how much is absorbed?
10-20 mg of which half is absorbed
What are the 4 broad causes of IDA?
reduced intake
increased demand
malabsorption
Blood loss
Where is iron absorbed in the GI tract?
Duodenum
In which patients will iron not be aborbed efficiently?
Coeliac disease
Gastrectomy
What are the most common sites of blood loss (2)
upper GI tract
uterus
How does the FBC look in IDA?
Hb low
MCV low
Ferritin low
Serum Iron low
What is the low limit of Mean cell volume?
<80
How are patients with IDA treated?
FIND A CAUSE
ferrous sulphate
parenteral iron (iron sorbitol)
Packed red cell transfusion
What are the side effects of ferrous sulphate?
Abdo pain
constipation
black stools
What is the upper limit of normal for MCV?
96
Within macrocytic anaemia there are two branches of condition which lead to different types of cell being present. What are these branches and what causes each?
Megaloblastic - B12 + folate def.
Non-megaloblastic - Alcohol, reticulocytosis, liver disease
What is iron started as in the liver?
Ferritin
Haemosiderin
What cell lines are affected in megaloblastic anaemias?
red cell
leukocytes
Platelets
What will happen to leukocytes in megaloblastic anaemia?
Hypersegmented
leukopenic
How is B12 absorbed?
Binds to intrinsic factor and absorbed in terminal ileum
What cells produce intrinsic factor?
Parietal cells of the stomach
What causes B12 definicency?
Reduced intake Impaired absorption: Gastrectomy Crohn's Ileal resection Pernicous anaemia
What is the pathophsiology of perncious anaemia?
Ab produced against parietal cells of stomach and Ab against intrinsic factor.
What symptoms will be found in Vit b12 def. anaemia? (5)
Peripheral Neuropathy Subacute combined degeneration Optic atrophy weight loss dementia
What is the treatment of Vit B12 Def. anaemia?
IM Hydroxycobalamin + Folate
What should always be given along with hydroxycobalamin?
Folate
What are the 4 main causes of Folate def. anaemia?
Dietary factors - common
Malabsoption - Crohns
Inc. demand - pregnancy
Drugs - methotrexate, alcohol
Which food do you get folate from?
spinach, broccoli
How is folate def anaemia diagnosed?
Bloods - reduced red cell folate
What is the treatent of Folate def. anaemia?
Oral folate + B12
What 3 groups of conditions cause the anaemia of chronic disease?
Chronic infection
Chronic Inflamm
Malignancy
How will a FBC look in the anaemia of chronic disease?
Hb down
MCV normal
Ferritin normal
What is the treatment of the anaemia of chronic disease?
EPO injections
packed RBCs
What is the triad of pancytopaenia?
anaemia
Neutropaenia
thromboctopaenia
How does the blood film look in bone marrow failure?
Leukoerythroblastic film - immature while and red cells
What haematological features of haemolytic anaemia?
Raised unconjugated bilirubin
reduced haptoglobin
raised LDH
raised urobilinogen
reticulocytosis
What is haptoglobin?
a protein which binds free Hb in the blood and takes it to the reticulcoendothelial system for breakdown.
What is LDH?
Lactate Dehydrogenase
It is an enzyme which is released during tissue damage and so can be useful in assessing severity of cancer of haemolysis
Haemolytic anaemias can be acquired or inherited. Which of these causes intrinsic problems of RBCs?
Inherited haemolytic anaemias cause problems within the the red blood cell
Which 3 locations on the red blood cell can inherited haemolytic anaemias affect?
cell membrane
cell cytoplasm
haemoglobin
Which inherited haemolytic anaemia affects the RBC’s cell membrane?
Spherocytosis
Which inherited haemolytic anaemia affects the RBC’s cell cytoplasm?
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency
Which inherited haemolytic anaemia affects the RBC’s Haemoglobin?
Sickle cell anaemia
thalassaemia
How is hereditary sphereocytosis inherited?
Autosomal dominant
How does hereditary spherocytosis cause anaemia?
red cells have abnormal shape and so get trapped in spleen and phagocytosed
How is hereditary spherocytosis diagnosed?
blood film with spherocytes
How is hereditary spherocytosis treated?
Splenectomy and folate
What cells would you find in a blood film in G6PD deficiency?`
Heinz bodies
Bite cells
What type of haemoglobin is produced in sickle cell anaemia?
HbS
In sickle cell anaemia HbS is produced, why does that lead to problems?
It is insoluable at low O2 levels and so once the oxygen becomes unbound from the HbS the cells become inflexible and cause occlusions in small vessels
What precipitated sickling of RBCs in sickle cell anaemia? (3)
Infection, dehydration and hypoxia
What are the two branches of problem in sickle cell anaemia?
Shortened red cell survival
Vaso-occlusion
In sickle cell anaemia what are the features of shortened RBC lifespan?
Chronic haemolysis:
Splenomegaly
Gallstones (unconj. billirubin)
Folate def.
In sickle cell anaemia what are the consequences of the vaso-occlusive disease?
Obstruction and infarct of small vessels in distal sites and skin
Organ dysfunction and failure
In a sickle cell crisis what are the main consequences? (7)
Stroke Retinopathy Pulmonary Syndrome Bone pain Dactylitis (children) Priapism Lower Limb ulceration
How is sickle cell anaemia diagnosed?
Hb electrophoresis + sickle solubility tests
How do you treat sickle cell anaemia?
Treat an acute crisis with supportive measures +/- splenectomy
prevent disease with vaccines against encapsulated organisms, folic acid
Hydroxyurea
Why is Hydroxyurea used in sickle cell disease?
shown to inc. amount of HbF and slows clinical prgression of disease
What treatment is given in all haemolytic disease?
Folate supplement
What is the basica pathology in Thalassaemia?
Imbalance of the alpha and beta haemoglobin chain production
What are the two general problems that occur in thalassaemia?
Ineffective erythropoesis
Haemolysis
What are the two subtypes of thalassaemia?
alpha-thalassaemia
Beta-thalassaemia
What are the two types of beta-thalassaemia?
Major and Minor
What is the genetic difference the two types of beta-thalassaemias?
Major is homozygous meaning that both B1 and B2 are mutated
Minor is heterozygous so one only 1 beta globin is affected
What is the clinical difference between Beta- thalassaemia major and minor?
Major - presents within first year of life and requires transfusion +more
Minor is asyptomatic but may have features of haemolysis
What is Cooley’s anaemia?
Beta-thalassaemia Major
What are the long term features of beta-thalassaemia major?
Anaemia
Bone deformaties - frontal bossing, easy fractures
Iron accululation - failure of sexual development, diabetes, hepatic and cardiac dysfunction
How many genes can be affected in alpha thalassaemia and how does this affect the severity of disease?
There are 4 genes.
4 genes affected - Incompatible with life and HF in utero
3 - moderate anaemia+ splenomegaly
1/2 - asymptomatic
What is the name of the diseased caused by alpha thalassaemia with 3 affected genes?
Haemoglobin H disease
What is the most common autoimmune cause of haemolysis?
Auto Immune Haemolytic anaemia
How do you test for Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia?
Coombs test (DAT test)
What are the types of Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia?
Warm and cold
What immunoglobulin mediated Warm autoimmune haemolytic anaemia?
IgG
What immunoglobulin mediated cold autoimmune haemolytic anaemia?
IgM
What are the mean ages that you get autoimmune haemolytic anaemias (hot/cold)? which is more common?
Warm - 37 (more common)
Cold - younger than 37
What are the causes of Warm autoimmune haemolytic anaemia?
Autoimmune disorders
Myeloproliferation
Drugs - penicillin
What is the main cause of Cold autoimmune haemolytic anaemia?
Infection from EBV and mycoplasma
What is the treatment for autoimmune haemolytic anaemia?
Steroids
Immunosuppression (Azothioprine)
Splenectomy in Warm
What is the triad of symptoms in Paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria?
Intravascular haemolysis
Venous Thrombosis
Haemoglobinuria (morning/night)