Anaemia Flashcards
What are the symptoms of anaemia?
- Fatigue
- Palpitations
- Headache and drowsiness
- Angina and intermittent claudication
- External Dyspnoea
What are the signs of anaemia?
Hypovolaemia
Decreased oxygen delivery to tissues
When is ferritin released?
- When hepatocytes are damaged
- Haemolysis and trauma
- Malignancy, infection and inflammation
What does a low reticulocyte count indicate?
Bone marrow hyperplasia
What does a high reticulocyte count indicate?
marrow is still responding
What is anaemia?
Reduction in red cell numbers (or reduction in haemoglobin concentration, haematocrit)
What are the causes of anaemia?
- Reduced red cell production
- Increased red cell destruction
- Blood loss
What are the functions of red cells?
- Carry oxygen to tissues and return carbon dioxide from tissues to lungs
Describe the structure of haemoglobin
- 2 alpha and 2 beta subunits
- Haeme which contains an iron atom that can carry oxygen
What is the cause of reduced red cell production?
- Lack of haematinics
- Bone marrow disorders
- Bone marrow supression
What are the classifications of anaemia?
- Microcytic: iron deficiency
- Macrocytic: B12 or folate deficiency
- Normocytic: Anaemia of chronic disease
What is thalassaemia?
Due to an imbalance of the production of alpha-globin or Beta-globin protein
What is sickle cell disease?
Amino acid change in the B-globin chain
Deforms red blood cells into sickle shape
What is autoimmune haemolysis?
Occurs when antibodies directed against the person’s own red blood cells cause them to burst leading to insufficient number of oxygen carrying red blood cells
What is macrocytic anaemia?
When the red blood cells are larger than their normal volume
