Anaemia Flashcards
what is anaemia?
reduction in amount Hb in given volume of bood
what are the mechanisms of anaemia?
- Reduced production or red cells/ haemoglobin in bone marrow
- Reduced survival of red cells in the circulation- haemolysis
- Loss of blood from the body (haemorrhage)
- Pooling of red cells in a very large spleen
how is iron controlled?
- iron controlled by absorption from diet
- there is no mechanism by which iron is excreted
- excess iron is toxic to heart and liver
how is iron absorbed?
regulated by hepcidin according to body cells
how is iron stored?
stored as ferritin in liver
ferritin= protein shell forms around Fe to store
how is iron transported?
transported as Transferrin
in blood forms stable complex to transport
required as Fe is toxic and unstable
what are the causes of reduced production and reduced survival of RBCs?
- Hereditary spherocytosis
- Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia
- G6PD deficiency
- Iron deficiency anaemia
- Anaemia of chronic disease
- Megaloblastic anaemia (due to Vit B12 deficiency)
what are the classifications of red cell based on size?
microcyte
normocyte
macrocyte
what is the haemoglobin status of each cell size?
microcyte- hypochromic
normocyte & macrocyte- normochromic
what are the common causes of microcyte?
- defect in haem synthesis
- Iron deficiency anaemic
- Anaemia of chronic disease
- Defect in globin synthesis (thalassaemia)
- Defect in alpha chain synthesis (alpha thalassaemia)
- Defect in beta chain synthesis (beta thalassaemia)
what are the mechanisms and examples of a normocyte?
- recent blood loss (increase blood plasma-> negative feedback -> reduced Hb conc)
- GI haemorrhage, trauma
- failure of production of RBC
- Early stages iron deficiency
- Bone marrow failure or suppression (chemo)
- Bone marrow infiltration (leukaemia)
- pooling of RBC in spleen
- Hypersplenism (liver cirrhosis)
- Splenic sequestration in sickle cell anaemia
what are the causes of macrocyte?
- Liver disease and ethanol toxicity
- Reticulocytes released due to loss of RBCs
- Major blood loss with adequate iron stores
- Haemoloytic anaemia
- Megaloblastic anaemia due to:
- Drug interference with DNA synthesis
- Lack vit B12/ folic acid
what does erythrocyte function depend on?
- Integrity of membrane
- Hereditary spherocytosis, autoimmune haemolytic anaemia
- Haemoglobin structure and function
- Sickle cell anaemia
- Cellular metabolism
- G6PD deficiency
- Any defect in these results in shortened erythrocyte survival (haemolysis)
what is the cause of hereditary spherocytosis?
- Inherited RBC membrane defect causing destabilisation of cellular membrane resulting in chronic, premature extravascular haemolysis
- Genetic component
what is the presentation of hereditary spherocytosis?
- jaundice- high bilirubin
- anaemic signs and symptoms (pallor, fatigue, activity intolerance)
- splenomegaly
- abnormal blood film, count and LFTs
what is the blood film of hereditary spherocytosis?
- Bilirubin mainly unconjugated and raised
- Decreased haemoglobin
- Poikilocytosis (variation in shape)- Spherocytosis
- Round cells without central pallor
- Polychromatic macrocytes and increased reticulocytes
- Reticulocytes= naïve red blood cells (larger than mature RBCs)
- Increased to try and compensate for destruction in red blood cells
- Reticulocytes= naïve red blood cells (larger than mature RBCs)
where is bilirubin conjugated?
liver
what are the causes of increased unconjugated bilirubin?
- Increased production
- Produced by breakdown of RBCs
- Impaired conjugation
- Impaired hepatic uptake of bilirubin
what are the complications of hereditary spherocytosis?
- Transient aplastic crisis caused by infections
- Megaloblastic anaemia replated to folate deficiency
- Gallstones - Due to increased breakdown of haemoglobin to bilirubin
what is the presentation of gallstones?
- Upper right abdominal pain
- Jaundice
- Raised conjugated bilirubin
- Caused by stone obstructing common bile duct (obstructive jaundice)
- Liver able to conjugate bilirubin but it is not passing from bile ducts and gall bladder into duodenum
what is the treatment for hereditary spherocytosis?
- Folic acid (because of increased need)
- Splenectomy (if severe) to increase the red cell life span