Anemias of Blood Loss & Decreased Production Flashcards
What is the unifying feature of hypoproliferative anemias? Classify them by pathophysiology.
low reticulocyte
- Extrinsic cause
- nutritional deficiencies
- renal failure
- chronic disease
- Intrinsic cause (bone marrow failure)
- infiltrative processes
- aplastic anemia
- hematopoietic neoplasms
What diseases are associated with microcytic anemia?
iron deficiency
chronic disease
sidroblastic anemia
thalassemia
What diseases are associated with Normochromic normocytic anemia?
chronic disease
What diseases are associated with macrocytic anemia?
Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency
medication/toxin effect
infections
neoplasms
What are the defects seen in microcytic hypochromic anemias?
decreased RBC hemoglobin production
cytoplasmic maturation defect
What is the most common cause of anemia world-wide?
iron deficiency
What are the common causes of iron deficiency anemia?
dietary deficiency
impaired absorption
increased requirement
chronic blood loss
What is the cause of iron deficiency in post-menopausal women & adults without uteruses?
chronic blood loss (cancer, etc.) until proven otherwise
Where is iron absorbed & in what form?
duodenum
most in the form of heme iron
How are we able to control the amount of iron stores in the body?
by controlling the absorption
we do not have good ways of getting rid of iron once it is absorbed
Free iron is bound to what carrier protein? Why?
transferrin
because free iron is toxic to cells
Iron is transferred from the duodenum to what main locations?
- bone marrow
- production of erythroid precursors
- liver
- storage
- production of some enzymes
The storage of iron in the liver triggers the production/secretion of what protein? What does it do?
Hephaestin
induce the degradation of ferroportin (iron membrane transporter), therefore decreasing the amount of iron absorbed
What are the general physical signs of anemia?
- Pale nail beds
- Pallor
- tachycardia (palpitations)
- fatigue
What is koilonychia & what pathology does it indicate?
“spooning” of the fingernails
long-standing severe iron deficiency anemia
Glossitis is a sign indicative of what types of anemia?
inflammation of the tongue
iron or B12/folate deficiency
What are the features of Plummer-Vinson syndrome?
iron-deficiency anemia,
postcricoid dysphagia,
upper esophageal webs.
What are the classic findings in peripheral blood associated with iron deficiency?
- Microcytic hypochromic cells
- small cells w/ large area of central pallor
- anisocytosis
- poikilocytosis (elliptocytes, mainly with “pencil cells”
- decreased reticulocyte count
- mild thrombocytosis
A trick for estimating red blood cell size: a normal red blood cell should be about the same size as what other cell?
lymphocyte
Why do you commonly see mild thrombocytosis with iron deficiency anemia?
because have erythropoietin stimulating erythroid precursors in the bone marrow to start proliferating & maturing into RBC
it also stimulates the megakaryocytes
What type of bone marrow biopsy is shown in the provided image?
normal
iron is stained blue- the high power image is an example of an iron granule in a normal erythroid-precursor
What type of bone marrow biopsy is shown in the provided image?
iron deficiency anemia
(negative iron stain) – looking for blue
What tests should be performed to diagnose iron deficiency?
serum iron (measuring bound iron)
total iron-binding (equivalent to plasma transferrin)
serum ferritin quantitation (estimation of bone marrow iron store)
serum soluble transferrin receptor (soluble protein in the plasma that helps RBC accept iron form transferrin, gives good estimation of what is going on with transferrin receptors on RBC)
What condition could cause elevated levels of serum ferritin quantitation?
chronic inflammatory states - it is an acute phase reactant
(serum soluble transferrin receptor measure developed to assess individuals with severe chronic inflammatory diseases)
What is the relationship between iron stores and serum soluble transferrin receptor levels?
inversely proportional
-don’t memorize, but check out these relationships if it helps you-