Anemia Lab Investigations

Question 1

What is anemia due to blood loss called?

Answer 1

Polychromasia

Question 2

What’s the most common type of anemia?

Answer 2

Iron deficiency anemia

Question 3

What does peripheral blood examination of RBCs reveal?

Answer 3

Pencil cells, hypochromatic cells

Question 4

What does megaloblastic anemia look like under peripheral examination?

Answer 4

Oval macrocytes and tear drop cells

Question 5

What are aplastic anemia’s lab features?

Answer 5

Pancytopenia

Question 6

What are aplastic anemia causes?

Answer 6

Genetic, drugs, radiation

Question 7

What does bone marrow biopsy of aplastic anemia reveal?

Answer 7

Honeycomb appearance

Question 8

How do we test for Hereditary spherocytosis?

Answer 8

Osmotic fragility test

Question 9

Explain the osmotic fragility test

Answer 9

When increasingly hypnoticonic saline concentrations are added to red cells, spherocytes can’t expand and thus burst

Question 10

How do we test for Thalassemia?

Answer 10

HB electrophoresis

Question 11

What’s the commonest red cell enzymopathy?

Answer 11

G6PD deficiency anemia