ASF - Anemia (Duong) Flashcards
Describe the shape and color of these erythrocytes. What disease could this be caused by?
Not normal
Microcytic - RBCs are smaller than the leukocyte
Hypochromic - central pallor takes up more than 1/3 of the RBC
Presence of ovalocytes indicates poikilocytosis (abnormal shape)
Microcytic hypochromic anemia is caused by iron deficiency anemia, anemia of chronic disease, sideroblastic anemia, and thalassemia
An 8-year-old boy is acutely ill with a fever and bloody diarrhea a day after attending a picnic. A CBC shows low platelets, high WBC count, and anemia. You suspect infection with E. coli O157:H7. What do you expect to see on a peripheral smear?
A. Increased platelets
B. Increased microspherocytes
C. Increased schistocytes
D. Increased Howell-Jolly bodies
E. Increased acanthocytes
C. Increased Schistocytes
E. coli O157:H7 toxin causes hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a disease characterized by intravascular hemolysis of RBCs.
Remember that intravascular hemolysis is caused by deposition of fibrin or thrombi in small vessels, which tear up RBCs as they flow through. This produces schistocytes.
Howell-Jolly bodies are formed after what type of surgical procedure?
Splenectomy
Howell-Jolly bodies are small, basophilic fragments of DNA present in RBCs. Normally, the splenic macrophages would remove these fragments. Splenectomy prevents this from happening.
Which condition is associated with RBCs being more prone to oxidative injury, and which type of hemolysis is observed?
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency
G6PD deficiency leads intravascular hemolysis because oxidative stress causes red cell lysis in the peripheral blood.
What is the function of glucuronyltransferase in relation to bilirubin?
Glucuronyltransferase conjugates bilirubin with a glucuronic acid molecule, making it more water-soluble so that it can be excreted in the urine.
What blood disorder is diagnosed with an osmotic fragility test, in which the cells are more prone to rupture in hypotonic solutions?
Hereditary Spherocytosis
This condition is caused by defects in cytoskeletal structural proteins (ankyrin, spectrin, etc.) in RBCs, which leads to membrane blebbing. Blebs are removed by splenic macrophages, decreasing the amount of cell membrane present. Decreased cell membrane inhibits biconcave shape and produces spherocytes. Spherocytes have fragile membranes that allow swelling and bursting in hypotonic solution.
What specific toxin can lead to aplastic anemia?
Benzene
A 27-year-old pregnant female with two children who has had no prenatal care, including pre-natal vitamins with any pregnancy, has the following CBC (below). Which set of lab findings below would be most compatible with the correct diagnosis?
A. Decreased serum iron and ferritin, increased TIBC
B. Increased serum iron and ferritin, decreased TIBC
C. Decreased serum iron, TIBC, and ferritin
D. Increased serum iron and TIBC, decreased ferritin
E. Decreased serum iron and TIBC, decreased ferritin
A. Decreased serum iron and ferritin, increased TIBC
A common problem in pregnant women who don’t take pre-natal vitamins is iron deficiency.
Becuase iron makes up heme, and heme makes up hemoglobin, the patient will have a low hemoglobin level.
Low iron from diet means that the iron bound to ferritin in macrophages will be used up, so ferritin will decrease
Lack of dietary and stored iron will increase the need for iron so the marrow can produce new RBCs. The liver will increase production of transferrin, which will increase TIBC.
You suscpect a patient has hemolytic uremic syndrome. What type of testing should be performed?
Serotyping for E. coli O157:H7
Acute cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome are caused by shiga-like toxin, most commonly from E. coli.
What type of anemia induces vitamin B12 deficiency?
Pernicious anemia
Pernicious anemia is caused by decreased production of intrinsic factor by the gastric parietal cells. In order for B12 to be absorbed in the terminal ileum, it must be bound to intrinsic factor. So B12 gets eliminated in feces.
What is the MCV of each of these types of anemias:
- Microcytic
- Normocytic
- Macrocytic
- Microcytic: MCV < 80
- Normocytic: MCV = 80 - 100
- Macrocytic: MCV > 100
What is the name of the structure the arrow is point to and condition is associated with the blood smear below?
Intracellular malarial parasites
Common in malarial infection with Plasmodium falciparum, ovale, vivax
What protein is responsible for clearing free hemoglobin in the blood?
Haptoglobin
Low serum haptoglobin levels indicate intravascular hemolysis
A 16-year-old male has splenomegaly, jaundice, and anemia. Spherocytes are noted on his peripheral blood smear and his red cells demonstrate increased osmotic fragility. The defect causing the anemia is:
A. Abnormal hemoglobin
B. Abnormal protein in the RBC cytoskeleton
C. Antibody against RBCs
D. An enzyme defect in the hexose monophosphate shunt
B. Abnormal protein in the RBC cytoskeleton
This case is describing hereditary spherocytosis, a genetic disorder with defective cytoskeletal proteins (ankyrin, spectrin, etc.)
A deficiency of what cellular structure leads to paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria?
GPI-anchor (PIG-A)
Lack of PIG-A prevents anchoring of decay activating factor on the RBC membrane, which makes it vulnerable to complement. At night, respiratory acidosis activates complement, which causes intravascular hemolysis.
In Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria, which normally occurring cell markers are absent?
CD59 (MAC-inhibitory protein), CD55 (decay accelerating factor, DAF), and FLAER
What type of anemia has a normal ADAMTS13 gene and is tested by serotyping for E. coli?
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome
A dacrocyte is another name for an RBC that has what shape?
Tear-drop shaped RBC
What molecule binds to two beta chains to stabilize the hemoglobin when it is in its deoxygenated form?
2,3-bisphosphoglycerate (2,3-BPG)
AKA: 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG)
True or False: Intrinsic factor deficiency can lead to vitamin B12 deficiency.
True
Remember that intrinsic factor is required to be bound to vitamin B12 so that it can be absorbed in the terminal ileum. Lack of intrinsic factor means no B12 absorption.
What is the anemia caused by an autosomal recessive defect in DNA repair, and has a high incidence of bone marrow aplastic anemia?
Fanconi Anemia
Characteristics: short stature, skeletal anomalies, increased incidence of solid tumors and leukemias, bone marrow failure (aplastic anemia)
A patient with a high MCV and hypersegmented neutrophil histological stain likely has what condition?
Megaloblastic Anemia
Remember that one of the hallmarks of megaloblastic anemia are macrocytic RBCs and hypersegmented neutrophils.
Megaloblastic changes also occur in rapidly dividing cells, leading to glossitis.