Anaemia Colloqium

Question 1

iron deficiency anaemia get what pathophysiological process?

Answer 1

Blood Loss

Decreased production

Question 2

what test is under used in iron deficiency anaemia?

Answer 2

reticulocyte count

Question 3

most common cause of worldwide iron deficiency?

Answer 3

hookworms

Question 4

anaemia of chronic disease eg?

Answer 4

chronic renal failure
rheumatological disorders
malignancy

Question 5

who gets folate deficiency? how long does folate stores last?

Answer 5

tea and toast diet, little old lady

3 months

Question 6

how to look for folate levels over past 3 months?

Answer 6

red cell folate levels

Question 7

leukoerythroblastic means?

Answer 7

bone marrow infiltrate is pushing out the precursor cells from the marrow

Question 8

causes of microcytic anaemia?

Answer 8

iron
thal
sideroblastic
lead poisoning

Question 9

what are pencil cells?

Answer 9

feature of iron deficiency

Question 10

what makes haem molecule?

Answer 10

porphyrin + Iron

Question 11

Globin production problems are what conditions?

Answer 11

thalassemia

Question 12

irons studies get 4 values

Answer 12

ferritin
serum iron:useless by itself
transferrin
transferrin saturation

Question 13

ferritin is positive or negative acute phase reactant

Answer 13

positive

could misleadingly normal in someone who is low iron but has an inflammatory reaction

Question 14

immune haemolysis, is urine dark?

Answer 14

nope

Question 15

blood film look for what if haemolysis?

Answer 15

fragments+ schistocytes = microangiopathy
bite/blister cells = oxidative injury
spherocytosis

Question 16

when blood film shows sphertocytosis, what 2 dx?

Answer 16

hereditary spherocytosis

warm autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (+ve coombs, bound RBC auto-Abs)

Question 17

5 things you look for microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia

Answer 17

abnormal blood film
raised LDH
raised reticulocytes
raised unconjugated bilirubin
depressed haptoglobin

Question 18

platelet levels being high in anaemia could mean?

Answer 18

acute phase reactant

not really helpful

Question 19

normocytic anaemias could be?

Answer 19

acute blood loss

chronic disease

Question 20

iron deficiency anaemia iron studies look for?

Answer 20

ferritin is down
transferrin up
saturation down

Question 21

what values increase first when treating iron deficiency?

Answer 21

reticulocytes,
Hb
MCV
ferritin

Question 22

how is the RDW in iron deficiency vs. thal minor?

Answer 22

Iron deficiency - RDW is increased (more rage of RBC sizes - anisocytosis)

Thal. Minor - normal RDW