CBC Flashcards
In a study, the patient’s diagnosis was made by the internist from:
- patient history: __%
- physical examination: __%
- laboratory diagnosis: __%
what should this tell you?
- 76%
- 12%
- 11%
you should not rely solely on lab tests; there are gray areas on lab interpretations; false-positives and false-negatives; interpreter or machine error exists
Greek root for white?
leuk
What occurs when you have insufficient or malformed red blood cells?
anemia
What do RBCs carry?
hemoglobin
What does hemoglobin transport?
iron
Any disorder that decreases RBCs can result in (…)
iron-deficiency (anemia)
What is one of the main tests used to diagnose anemia?
CBC
- Where might you lose you erythrocytes?
- what conditions might destroy your RBC?
- How do anemic people feel?
- menstruation, nose bleeds
- sickle cell, toxins, strong infections
- fatigue, SOB, pale under the eyes
What is another name for RBC?
erythrocytes
- What is the lifespan of RBC?
- How many RBCs are replaced daily?
- 120 days
- approximately 1%
What is a regulatory hormone that works on feed back loop and increases or decreases production upon demand for RBCs?
Erythropoietin (EPO)
Where is erythropoietin produced?
in the kidneys
When might we need to increase production of RBCs?
- at high altitude
- if you are bleeding a lot
For RBC production to work correctly, what factors are needed?
- iron
- vitamin B12 and folic acid
- vitamin C
If a patient is deficient in vitamin B12 or folic acid, what can occur and what is the result?
- impaired RBC maturation/differentiation due to impaired DNA synthesis
- result is large, undifferentiated RBC that is easily destroyed (megaloblast)
What is a very large, undifferentiated RBC that is easily destroyed?
megaloblast
What helps mobilize iron from its various forms to useful form for erythrocyte?
vitamin C
Vitamin B12 and folate deficiency leads to (…) which results in what type of erythrocytes?
- inhibition of DNA synthesis (cell multiplication)
- very few, large hemoglobin-rich erythrocytes (will be red and large)
Iron deficiency leads to (…) which results in what type of erythrocytes?
- inhibition of hemoglobin synthesis
- a few, small hemoglobin-poor erythrocytes (will be pale and small)
Vitamin B12 and folate are integral for erythrocyte DNA synthesis and differentiation, so in there absence, nuclear development is (…) than cytoplasmic development, so there will be (…) cytoplasm when folate or B12 deficient
- nuclear development is less than cytoplasmic development
- larger cytoplasm
What are the different common types of anemia?
- iron-deficiency anemia
- vitamin-deficiency anemia
- aplastic anemia
- hemolytic anemia
What is the most common form of anemia?
iron-deficiency anemia
What type of amenia results from low levels of vitamin B12 or folate?
vitamin-deficiency anemia
What is a more rare anemia that results when the body stops erythropoiesis?
aplastic anemia
What is the type of anemia that results from the destruction of RBCs?
hemolytic anemia
What type of anemia do these lead to:
- blood loss- loss of iron
- poor dietary intake in malnutrition or eating disorder
- pregnancy- increased demand
- gastric bypass- poor absorption (cutting of a lot of absorption sites)
iron-deficiency anemia
What type of anemia do these lead to:
- poor dietary intake in malnutrition or eating disorder
- alcoholism: reduces absorption of vitamins from GI tract
vitamin-deficiency anemia
What type of anemia do these lead to:
- toxin exposure, such as chemical exposure (benzene)
- some medications used to treat autoimmune disease
- some viruses (Epstein-Barr)
aplastic anemia
What type of anemia do these lead to:
- many causes including infection, genetics, autoimmune disease
hemolytic anemia
What type of anemia occurs in the presence of multiple chronic conditions?
anemia of chronic disease (ACD)
What type of anemia results from decreased RBC production by bone marrow?
anemia of chronic disease (ACD)
What type of anemia results from chronic inflammatory processes and poor production of erythropoietin in the kidneys?
anemia of chronic disease (ACD)
Anemia of chronic disease is common to see in patients with what?
- kidney disease
- cancer
- autoimmune disease
What type of anemia results when the bone marrow produces abnormal RBCs which prevent iron not incorporated in hemoglobin?
sideroblastic anemia
What type of anemia can be alpha or beta?
thalassemia
What may be one of the most important laboratory tests used in clinical medicine? When is it often ordered during?
CBC
- routine medical examination
- evaluation of infection
- evaluation of any type of inflammation
- evaluation of a possible neoplastic process (cancer)
What are some positives of CBC tests?
- provides high yield of information
- low-cost test
What in included (measured) in the CBC?
- white blood cells
- red blood cells
- platelets
What are the different types of white blood cells (there are 5)?
- monocytes
- lymphocytes
- eosinophils
- basophils
- neutrophils
What WBCs are collectively referred to as:
- granulocytes
- “the three phils”
- eosinophils
- basophils
- neutrophils
What are neutrophils referred to as?
- polymorphonuclear leukocytes
- “PMNs”
- “Polys”
What WBCs are the most important?
neutrophils
What number of the CBC may be considered the most important?
WBCs
What is the normal range of total WBC?
4.5-11.0 x 10^3/uL
What type of cells are responsible for fighting off infections?
WBC
Fluctuations in WBC can occur with what?
- stress
- exercise
- pain
- during pregnancy
- Elevated WBC count is described as (…)
- Decreased WBC count is described as (…)
- leukocytosis
- leukopenia
What causes leukocytosis?
- bacterial infections (less commonly, viral infections)
- widespread inflammation (autoimmune diseases)
- trauma and pain
- leukemia
Oral corticosteroids, such as prednisone, can cause (…)
- can occur within hours to days and typically resolves after finished
leukocytosis
In what patient(s) might you expect to see leukocytosis?
- patient with bacterial meningitis and septicemia
- patient given oral steroids for poison ivy
What does leukopenia typically result from?
- decreased production of RBC OR
- increased destruction of RBC
What causes leukopenia?
- viral infections
- benign ethnic leukopenia
- cancer or toxin-related
- malabsorption
Most (…) cause no decrease in total WBC count
viral infections
What are some viral infections that often cause leukopenia?
- measles
- influenza
Benign ethnic leukopenia in common in individuals of (…) descent and can confer (…) protection
- African descent
- malaria protection
Cancer or toxin-related leukopenia can be caused by treatment with (…) or (…) due to bone marrow failure
- radiation or chemotherapy
- aplastic anemia
Malabsorption causing leukopenia can be caused by what?
- alcohol use/abuse
- poor nutrition
- gastric bypass
- The majority of WBCs are (…)
- Any increase or decrease in total WBC count is usually a reflection of a change in (…)
neutrophils
- Neutrophilia is used interchangeably with (…) and (…)
- Neutropenia is used interchangeably with (…)
- leukocytosis and granulocytosis
- leukopenia
Causes of leukocytosis and leukopenia are causes of (…) and (…)
- neutrophilia
- neutropenia
Neutrophils come in two forms, (…) and (…)
- band neutrophils
- segmented neutrophils
- Which neutrophils have an immature nucleus?
- Which neutrophils have mature nucleus?
- band neutrophils
- segmented neutrophils
What refers to the level of maturation of the neutrophil in the blood sample?
the left shift
A left shift is caused by a higher predominance of (…) neutrophils present on a particular CBC
immature neutrophils
A left shift is often seen in (…) or (…) response
- infection (or)
- inflammatory response
There is usually not a left shift in (…) use, which may help make a diagnosis
corticosteroid use
You will not always see a left shift on WBC in infection, so it is only helpful to rule out what?
corticosteroid use as cause of leukocytosis
left shift is not steroid related