Bleeding Disorders and Blood Types

Question 1

Thromboembolic disorders

Answer 1

These result from conditions that cause undesirable clotting like the roughening of vessel endothelium or slow-flowing blood

Question 2

Thrombus

Answer 2

A clot that forms in an unbroken vessel. It can block the flow of blood to tissue if its large enough

Question 3

Embolus

Answer 3

Thrombus that breaks away from a vessel wall. It moves through the circulatory system until it becomes stuck in a narrow blood vessel somewhere int he body

Question 4

Anticoagulant drugs

Answer 4

These are used clinically to prevent undesirable clotting
- Aspirin, heparin and warfarin

Question 5

Bleeding disorders

Answer 5

They arise from abnormalities that prevent normal clot formation

Question 6

Thrombocytopenia

Answer 6

A deficiency in circulating platelets
- May result from any condition that suppresses/destroys red bone marrow
- treated with platelet transfusions

Question 7

Impaired liver function

Answer 7

• can affect the synthesis of procoagulant clotting factors
• Shortage of vitamin K, diseases (hepatitis or cirrhosis)

Question 8

Hemophilia

Answer 8

A group of genetic conditions that result in a deficiency of clotting factors
- X-linked recessive trait
- Managed clinically by transfusions

Question 9

Disseminated intravascular coagulation

Answer 9

• Leads to widespread clotting and severe bleeding
• Does not occur by itself
• Complication of pregnancy, septicemia or incompatible blood transfusions

Question 10

Differential WBC count

Answer 10

Used to detect differences in relative amounts of specific blood cell types

Question 11

Prothrombin time

Answer 11

Measures the amount of prothrombin in the blood

Question 12

Platelet counts

Answer 12

Evaluate the status of the hemostasis system

Question 13

Antigens

Answer 13

Substances that trigger the body’s adaptive immune response
- Things that do not belong inside the body and cause disease

Question 14

Antibodies

Answer 14

Proteins produced by lymphocytes that target specific antigens
- Bind to pathogens to inhibit their functions and makes it easier to destroy them through phagocytosis

Question 15

Affinity maturation

Answer 15

• The immune system builds affinity for an antigen over time by refining the fit of the antibodies so they can bind more efficiently in the future

Question 16

Autoimmune disease

Answer 16

When the maturation of lymphocytes to insure they don’t react to self-antigens fail
- the immune system reacts to your own tissues an an infection

Question 17

Allergies

Answer 17

Immune hypersensitivities to otherwise non-pathogenic foreign substances
- Symptoms are caused by the overreaction of the immune response

Question 18

Blood types

Answer 18

• humans have different blood types based on specific antigens on red blood cell membranes
• ABO and Rh antigens can cause strong transfusion reactions

Question 19

Blood transfusion

Answer 19

ABO blood groups are based on the presence/absence of type A or type B antigens
- Type AB; Has both antigens but no antibodies
- Type O: has neither antigens but both antibodies
- Type A: has A antigen and anti-B antibodies
- Type B: Has B antigen and anti-A antibodies

Question 20

Rh factor

Answer 20

• A group of RBC antigens that are either present (Rh+ blood) or absent (Rh- blood)
• Can be referred to as D antigen where the presence = Rh+
• Rh antibodies = Rh- only after exposure

Question 21

Rh+ birth

Answer 21

• A Rh- mother can have a Rh+ baby only the first time
• The second birth, the mothers antibodies can cross the placenta and attack the fetus as the mother has already been exposed to Rh+ cells
• Treated by giving mother anti-Rho immunoglobulin

Question 22

Tranfusion reaction

Answer 22

• Occurs if the antigens in the donor blood type attack the recipient’s antibodies = agglutination/hemolysis of donor cells
• O- = universal donor because no A, B or D antigens on it
• AB+ = universal recipient bcos no anti-a, b or d antibodies in the plasma

Question 23

Blood typing

Answer 23

Involves determination of possible transfusion reactions before transfusion between donor and recipient’s blood types

Question 24

Agglutinations

Answer 24

Agglutinations when blood typing means it is positive.
- this is because the antibodies in the plasma react to antigens added to the sample
- Agglutination in a cell block A and Rh+ means the recipient is positive for Type A bloodied the Rh factor meaning the recipient is A+