Ch 42: Blood disorders

Question 1

What is anemia?

Answer 1

Reduction in the number of RBC’s, hemoglobin or hematocrit.

Question 2

What is the most common cause of anemia in adults?

Answer 2

GI bleeding

Question 3

Common causes of iron-deficient anemia?

Answer 3

Inadequate iron intake caused by:
Iron-deficient diet
Chronic alcoholism
Malabsorption syndromes
Partial gastrectomy

Rapid anabolic activity caused by:
Pregnancy
Adolescence
Infection

Question 4

What are common causes of vitamin B12 deficiency anemia?

Answer 4

Dietary deficiency
Failure to absorb vitamin B12 from intestinal tract as result of:
Partial gastrectomy
Pernicious anemia
Malabsorption syndromes

Question 5

What are common causes of aplastic anemia?

Answer 5

Exposure to myelotoxic agents:
Radiation
Benzene
Sulfonamides
Insecticides

Question 6

Adults usually have between ____ g of iron in the body

Answer 6

2 and 6

Question 7

Foods rich in iron

Answer 7

Red meat
Organ meat
Egg yolks
Kidney beans
Leafy green vegetables
Raisins

Question 8

What is the best way to administer an IM injection of iron?

Answer 8

Z-track

Question 9

What is a function of vitamin B12?

Answer 9

Activate enzymes that move folic acid into the cell where DNA synthesis occurs.

Question 10

How does vitamin B12 deficiency cause anemia?

Answer 10

It inhibits folic acid transport and reducing DNA synthesis in precursor cells.
The precursor cells undergo improper DNA synthesis and increase in size.
Only few are released from the bone marrow.

This type of anemia is called megaloblastic or macrocytic anemia because of the large size of the abnormal cells.

Question 11

What patients are at risk for Vitamin B12?

Answer 11

Vegetarians or diets lacking dairy products.

Question 12

Anemia resulting from failure to absorb vitamin B12 is called:

Answer 12

pernicious anemia

Question 13

What is the cause of pernicious anemia (besides failing to absorb vitamin B12)?

Answer 13

Deficiency of intrinsic factor (secreted by the gastric mucosa), which is needed for intestinal absorption of vitamin B12.

Question 14

What is a main sign of pernicious anemia?

Answer 14

Beefy red tongue (also known as glossitis), fatigue, and weight loss.

Also may have poor balance and paresthesias because B12 is needed for normal nerve function.

Question 15

What foods are high in vitamin B12?

Answer 15

Animal proteins
eggs
dairy products

Question 16

What is a Shilling test?

Answer 16

Measures amount of vitamin B12 in urine after patient is given an oral dose of radioactive vitamin B12.

If the patient does not absorb the radioactive B12 because of the pernicious anemia, it cannot get into the urine.

Question 17

What is aplastic anemia?

Answer 17

Deficiency of circulating RBC because of failure of bone marrow to produce these cells.

aplastic (a=no plastic=build/shape)

Question 18

Difference between Folic Acid deficiency and B12 deficiency?

Answer 18

B12 has neurological symptoms since B12 is needed for nerve function.

Question 19

What is a pluripotent stem cell?

Answer 19

Immature precursor cell for red blood cells.

Question 20

Aplastic anemia can occur alone, but usually occurs with _______

Answer 20

leukopenia and thrombocytopenia

Question 21

What is leukopenia?

Answer 21

reduction in white blood cells

Question 22

What is thrombocytopenia?

Answer 22

Reduction in platelets.

Question 23

What is pancytopenia?

Answer 23

Deficiency of WBC, platelets and failure of bone marrow to produce RBC.

Question 24

What is the most common hereditary form of aplastic anemia?

Answer 24

Fanconi’s anemia