Blood Cell Abnormalities

Question 1

What is Anaemia? what happens to the haemoglobin, rbc and hct concentration?

Answer 1

a reduction in the amount of haemoglobin in a given volume of blood below what would be expected in comparison with a healthy subject of the same age and gender.
by definition, haemoglobin concentration is reduced.
rbc and hct concentration is USUALLY also reduced.
occasionally, low hb results from an increase in plasma volume however, in a healthy person this excess fluid is removed, therefore anaemia can be regarded as a decrease in the absolute amount of haemoglobin in the circulation.

Question 2

what are the 4 mechanisms of anaemia?

Answer 2

1. reduced production of red cells/haemoglobin in the bone marrow
2. loss of blood from the body
3. reduced survival of red cells in the circulation (&bone marrow cannot compensate adequately)
4. pooling of red cells in a very large spleen

Question 3

what is the difference between a cause and mechanism of anaemia?

Answer 3

a mechanism is why there is a low hb concentration and a cause is what is making the mechanism occur.

Question 4

one cause of reduced synthesis of haem?

Answer 4

iron deficiency

Question 5

one cause of reduced synthesis of globin?

Answer 5

thalassaemia

Question 6

Classification on the basis of ……….. can help suggest specific causes.

Answer 6

cell size

Question 7

how do you classify anaemia based off of cell size and colour?

Answer 7

microcytic- usually hypochromic(increased central pallor)
normocytic- usually normochromic
macrocytic- usually normochromic

Question 8

what is microcytic anaemia and what causes it?

Answer 8

one in which the average cell size is decreased.
defect in haem synthesis:
-iron deficiency
-anaemia of a chronic disease (covered later- but some sort of inflammation where iron is stored in macrophages and is not released)
defect in globin synthesis:
-defect in alpha chain synthesis (alpha thalassaemia)
-defect in beta chain synthesis (beta thalassaemia)

Question 9

what kind of cells would you see in a blood film of someone who has thalassaemia major?

Answer 9

target cells

nucleated red blood cell

Question 10

what are 3 reasons for iron deficiency?

Answer 10

increased loss (blood loss):

• commonest cause in adults. cancer in gastrointestinal tract.
• hookworm
• menstrual (menorrhagia)

insufficient intake

• dietary (vegetarians as more iron in animal products)
• malabsorption (coeliac disease, H.pylori gastritis)

increased requirements
-physiological (pregnancy, infancy)

Question 11

what is coeliac disease?

Answer 11

small intestine becomes inflamed and unable to absorb nutrients.gluten-induced enteropathy. small bowel becomes sensitive to gluten causing the bowel to alter in such a way so that iron and other nutrients are not absorbed as properly.

Question 12

what is H.pylori gastritis?

Answer 12

lack of hcl in stomach

Question 13

what would u see in a blood film in a patient who has iron deficiency?

Answer 13

microcytosis- low MCV
Hypochromia-increased central pallor-low MCHC (mean concentration of haemoglobin in a cell
occasional target cells
elliptocytes