Anemias of Diminished Erythropoesis Flashcards
Diminished Erythropoiesis
Inadequate supply of substances needed for hematopoiesis
-Iron, folic acid, vitamin B12
Bone marrow failure
Bone marrow replacement
Iron Metabolism
Total body iron content
2 gm for women, up to 6 gm for men 80% functional iron, 20% storage pool -Functional iron *80% hemoglobin *20% myoglobin and other iron containing proteins (catalase, cytochromes) -Storage pool *Hemosiderin and ferritin *Stored iron mainly in liver, spleen, marrow, skeletal muscle
Iron laboratory tests
Serum ferritin
-Assesses body iron stores
-Stainable iron in marrow can also be used
Serum iron levels (nl: 100 µg/dL)
Total iron binding capacity (TIBC) (nl: 300 µg/dL)
-Measure of transferrin levels
% saturation or transferrin % saturation (nl: 33%)
-Serum iron/TIBC
Iron Metabolism
Metabolic pathways are strongly biased toward iron retention
No regulated pathway for iron excretion
-Normal losses are 1-2 mg/day
Iron balance is maintained by regulating iron absorption
Iron Dietary forms
Heme iron from animal products
-About 20% is absorbable
Inorganic iron in vegetables
-1-2% is absorbable
Iron absorbtion
Iron is absorbed in the duodenum
Iron passes through the apical membrane then the basolateral membrane of enterocytes
Nonheme iron
Apical membrane
-Ferric reductase reduces iron
-Divalent metal transporter (DMT1) transports across apical membrane to cytoplasm
Basolateral transfer of iron to transferrin in plasma
-Ferroportin transport protein
-Hephaestin oxidizes iron
Iron not transported to plasma is stored as ferritin and lost though exfoliation of mucosal cells
hepcidin
Iron balance is regulated by a small hepatic peptide, hepcidin
- Hepcidin binds to ferroportin and causes it to be internalized and degraded
- High hepcidin results in reduced iron absorption
- Low hepcidin results in higher iron absorption
Iron Deficiency Anemia Causes
Most common type of anemia
Causes
Low dietary intake
-Rarely cause in US where average iron intake is 10-20 mg/day
-Important cause in other parts of world where low intake is combined with poor bioavailability of predominantly vegetarian diet
Malabsorption
-Sprue, celiac disease, gastrectomy
Increased demands
-Pregnancy, infancy
Chronic blood loss
-Most important cause in Western world
-GI tract (e.g., ulcers, colon cancer, hemorrhoids, hookworm)
-Female genital tract (e.g., menorrhagia, cancers)
Iron deficiency develops insidiously
Iron stores depleted
Decline in serum ferritin; loss of stainable iron in marrow
Decrease in serum iron and rise in TIBC
Ability to synthesize iron containing proteins diminished
Iron Deficiency Anemia morphology
Anemia is generally mild
Microcytic and hypochromic (↓MCV and ↓MCHC)
Increased platelet count
Iron Deficiency Anemia clinical
Mostly asymptomatic or non-specific
-Weakness, listlessness
In severe cases
-Pallor, koilonychia (nail spooning), alopecia, atrophy of tongue and gastric mucosa, intestinal malabsorption
-Pica, consuming non-foodstuffs like dirt or clay
In well-nourished persons, iron deficiency anemia is not a disease but a symptom of an underlying disorder
Anemia of Chronic Disease
Most common form of anemia in hospitalized patients
Resembles iron deficiency anemia, but is caused by inflammation-induced iron sequestration within the mononuclear phagocyte system
Anemia of Chronic Disease
Seen in chronic inflammatory disorders
Chronic microbial infections
-Osteomyelitis, bacterial endocarditis, lung abscess
Chronic immune disorders
-Rheumatoid arthritis, regional enteritis
Neoplasms
-Carcinoma of lung and breast, Hodgkin lymphoma
Anemia of Chronic Disease anemia
Normocytic/normochromic most commonly
Microcytic/hypochromic
Anemia of Chronic Disease labs
Low serum iron
High serum ferritin or marrow iron
Low TIBC
These R/O iron deficiency
Anemia of Chronic Disease
Findings due to high levels of hepcidin
Elevated hepcidin caused by proinflammatory cytokines
Inflammation also blunts erythropoietin response
Only effective treatment of the underlying disease is curative
-Iron and epo treatment may improve anemia