Anaemia, Flashcards
1
Q
What is anaemia?
A
Haemoglobin concentration lower than the normal range
2
Q
What factors can cause haemoglobin normal range to vary?
A
Age, sex ethnicity
3
Q
Why does a slow development of anaemia produce milder symptoms?
A
The body has time to adjust to the lower haemoglobin concentration by increasing cardiac stroke volume to increase blood supply to tissues and increasing the concentration of 2,3-Bisphosphoglycerate in RBCs to promote oxygen dissociation
4
Q
What are the symptoms of acute onset anaemia? What additional symptoms will someone with underlying vascualr disease experience?
A
Fatigue, dyspnoea, palpitations and headache.
Angina and intermittent claudication
5
Q
What are the clinical signs of anaemia?
A
Pallor, tachycardia and systolic murmur
