anemia basics Flashcards
how long does it take for a RBC to develop in the bone marrow?
1 week
regulation of erythropoiesis
sensors in the kidney that respond to hypoxia and release EPO
RBC production requires stores of
- folate
- B-12
- iron
three layers of CBC centrifuge and contents
- top - plasma - H2O, protein, electrolytes
- middle - WBCs and platelets
- bottom - RBCs
normal WBC
4-10,000 cells/ul
normal Hgb
- female 11.2-15.7 g/dL
- male 13.7-17.5 g/dL
normal HCT
- female 34-45%
- male 40-51%
normal platelets
145-370,000 cells/ul
what is HCT?
the proportion of blood volume (i.e. RBC + plasma) that is occupied by red blood cells
what is anemia?
low hemoglobin or hematocrit
what is Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)?
This tells you the size (volume) of the average red blood cell. It is equal to the volume of all red blood cells divided by the number of red blood cells.
what is Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH)?
measure of the average mass of hemoglobin per red blood cell. Low values are seen in iron deficiency or thalassemia, and are termed hypochromic. High values are seen in macrocytosis of any cause.
what is Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC)?
measure of the concentration of hemoglobin in a given volume of packed red blood cell. Low values are seen in iron deficiency or thalassemia. High values are seen in hereditary spherocytosis
what is Red cell volume distribution width (RDW)?
indicator of the degree of variation in RBC size for a population of cells. This helps identify mixed populations of cells (e.g. microcytic and normocytic), in which case the RDW will be increased, which is called anisocytosis. If all the cells are the same size then he RDW is normal and the term is isocytosis.
what is the importance of the reticulocyte count?
Increased reticulocytes indicate a hyperfunctioning bone marrow. Inappropriately low reticulocytes indicate a bone marrow problem.
