Blood Dyscrasias Flashcards
Define blood dyscrasias
a Nonspecific term that refers to a disorder or disease of the blood
Does anemia have a shortage of RBC or WBC?
RBC
A lack of RBC means there is a reduction in the transfer of what throughout the body?
Oxygen
What are the different ranges for Mild, Moderate and Severe Anemia?
Mild has a hemoglobin between 9.5 - 13.0
Moderate is between 8 - 9.5
Severe is below 8
What are the 3 main causes of Anemia?
Blood loss
Inadequate production of RBC
Excessive Destruction of RBC
What is the most common cause of Iron Deficiency Anemia?
Excessive Bleeding
True or False: Iron deficiency anemia is rarely a sign of an underlying problem and you don’t have to look for any specific cause for the deficit.
False
What are the 4 causes of Iron Deficiency Anemia?
Decreased Iron Intake
Blood Loss
Increased Demand
Decreased Absorption
Give 4 signs/symptoms of Iron Deficiency Anemia
- Fatigue, lethargy and cold intolerance
- Irritability
- Menstrual Irregularities
- Delayed Healing
What do you look for to diagnose Iron Deficiency Anemia?
Look for ferritin in the blood as well as looking for decreased iron counts
What is not being properly absorbed in Pernicious Anemia?
Vitamin B12
What factor is lacking that causes the malabsorption of Vit B12?
Intrinsic Factor
Numbness, Weakness and emotional dilemmas are all a result of demyelination. Which Anemia has this effect?
Pernicious Anemia - the loss of myelin interferes with the conduction of nerve impulses
What is Aplastic Anemia?
Impairment or failure of bone marrow leading to the loss of stem cells and pancytopenia.
Define Pancytopenia
Decreased RBC, WBC and platelets in the blood
What happens to the RBC in Hemolytic Anemia?
There is an excessive, abnormal destruction of them
True or False: Sickle Cell Anemia is Genetic.
True
What goes wrong with the RBC in Sickle Cell Anemia?
The formation of hemoglobin is abnormal.
What is the major problem resulting from the sickling process in sickle cell anemia?
The obstruction of the blood vessels by the elongated and rigid RBCs resulting in thrombus formation and repeated multiple infarcts or areas of tissue necrosis (Blood Clots)
What is Thalessemia?
Genetic defect where one or more genes for hemoglobin are missing or variant
Which Type of Thalessemia is more severe, why?
Major Thalassemia. It has 2 copies of defective genes and requires weekly blood transfusions
What is Polycythemia?
An increase in production of RBC (erythrocytes) and other cells in the bone marrow.
Secondary Polycythemia is a compensation mechanism intended to provide increased oxygen transport int eh presence of what diseases/conditions?
Chronic lung disease, heart disease or from living in a higher altitude
