Chapter 35 - Anemia Flashcards
what 2 lab tests are low in anemia
low hgb & hct
Hgb is …
it is found in …
its main purpose is to …
- an iron-rich protein
- found in red blood cells (RBCs)
- carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues.
RBC life cycle:
- RBC are formed in:
- An immature RBC is known as:
- When do RBC get released into circulation?
- How long do they need to mature
- What is the lifespan of a mature RBC?
- How are erythrocytes removed from circulation?
- RBCs are formed in the bone marrow,
- where they take up Hgb and iron before being released into the circulation as immature RBCs, known as reticulocytes.
- After 1 - 2 days, the reticulocytes mature into erythrocytes, which have a lifespan of about 120 days.
- Erythrocytes are removed from circulation by macrophages, mainly in the spleen.
Anemia can occur due to:
- impaired RBC production
- increased RBC destruction (hemolysis)
- blood loss
Diagnosis of the underlying cause is essential.
Anemia can result from:
- nutritional deficiencies (e.g., iron, folate, vitamin B12)
- or it can occur as a complication of another medical disorder, such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) or a malignancy.
Sx of anemia in:
1) Mild or early stage of anemia
2) Severe/ Prolonged
3) Sudden blood loss:
4) Iron Def anemia
5) Vit B12 def
1) Mild or early stage anemia:
- Asymptomatic.
2) Severe and/or prolonged:
1- Fatigue
2- Weakness
3- Dizziness
4- Exercise intolerance,
5- Shortness of breath
6- headache
7- anorexia and/or
8- pallor
3) Sudden blood loss:
Acute symptoms, such as
- chest pain
- fainting
- palpitations and
- tachycardia.
4) Iron deficiency anemia:
- Glossitis (an inflamed, sore tongue)
- Koilonychias (thin, concave, spoon-shaped nails)
- Pica (craving and eating non-foods: chalk/ clay)
5) Vitamin Bl2 (cobalamin) deficiency
Neurologic symptoms, including
- Peripheral neuropathies
- Visual disturbances and/or
- Psychiatric symptoms
Chronic anemia could lead to HF, How?
2 main things:
1) In chronic anemia, the heart tries to compensate for low oxygen levels by pumping faster (tachycardia).
This can increase the mass of the ventricular wall (hypertrophy) and lead to heart failure .
What is the likely cause of Microcytic?
MCV?
Likely cause:
iron deficiency
MCV < 80 fl
Likely Causes of Normocytic anemia?
MCV value?
1) MCV 80-100 fl I
2) Likely causes:
1- Acute blood loss
2- Malignancy
3- CKD
4- Bone marrow failure (aplastic anemia),
5- hemolysis
Likely causes of Macrocytic
MCV value?
Likely causes:
- Vitamin B 12 deficiency
- Folate deficiency
MCV > 100fL
What are the 4 Iron studies that further evaluates microcytic anemia:
1) serum iron: bound to transferrin (Transferrin binds and transfers iron to blood serum)
2) serum ferritin: iron stores (Ferritin stores iron in tissue)
3) transferrin saturation: amount of transferrin binding sites occupied by iron
4) total iron binding capacity: amount of transferrin binding sites available to bind iron or unbound sites
What tests are used to evaluate macrocytic anemia?
Vitamin Bl2 and folate levels
Vitamin Bl2 is required for enzyme reactions involving:
1) methylmalonic acid and
2) homocysteine,
making these tests potentially useful in confirming a diagnosis. (increased)
Reticulocyte count:
1) What does the reticulocyte count measures?
2) It is low in:
3) It is high in:
- A reticulocyte count measures production of RBCs.
- The reticulocyte count is low in untreated anemia due to iron, folate or Bl2 deficiency and with bone marrow suppression.
- The reticulocyte count is high in acute blood loss or hemolysis.
What are ALL the common lab tests in anemia:
1)
a)
b)
c)
d)
2)
a)
b)
c)
d)
3)
a)
b)
c)
d)
4)
a)
b)
c)
d)
Relevant CBC Components:
- Hemoglobin (Hgb)
- Hematocrit (Hct)
- Red Blood Cell (RBC)
- Reticulocyte Count
RBC lndices
- Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)
- Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH)
- Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC)
- Red Blood Cell Distribution Width (RDW)
Iron Studies
- Serum Iron
- Serum Ferritin
- Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC)
- Transferrin Saturation (TSAT)
Additional Tests
- Serum Folate
- Serum Vitamin B12
- Methylmalonic Acid
- Homocysteine
heme iron and non heme iron:
1) Heme iron is found in: (what food?)
2) Non heme iron is found in:
3) Is heme or non-heme iron more readily absorbed? And why?
4) What foods can increase the absorption of …?
5) What food can decrease its absorption?
6) Type of diet that makes person at risk of decreased absorption of iron? Counseling?
- heme iron (found in meat and seafood)
- non-heme iron (found in nuts, beans, vegetables and fortified grains, such as cereals).
- Heme iron is more readily absorbed than non-heme iron, which is affected by gastric pH and other foods being consumed.
- Meat, seafood, poultry and ascorbic acid increase the absorption of non-heme iron,
- while foods that contain phytate and polyphenols (e.g., grains, beans, cereals and legumes) can decrease non-heme iron absorption.
- This is particularly important for patients who follow a vegetarian diet, since they are more likely to consume foods with a less absorbable form of iron along with foods that decrease the absorption of iron.
Vegetarians may require iron supplementation, even if dietary intake of iron seems adequate.
What are the 4 main causes of iron deficiency anemia?
1) Inadequate Dietary Intake
- Iron-poor diets (e.g.,vegetarian, vegan)
- Malnutrition
- Disease-related (e.g.,dementia, psychosis)
2) Blood Loss:
- Acute (e.g., GI hemorrhage)
- Chronic (e.g., heavy menses, blood donations, peptic ulcer disease, inflammatory bowel disease)
- Drug-induced (e.g., NSAIDs, steroids, anti-platelets, anticoagulants)
Decreased Iron Absorption
- High gastric pH (e.g., PPls) (more basic)
- GI diseases (e.g.,celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, gastrectomy, gastric bypass)
Increased Iron Requirements
- Pregnancy
- Lactation
- Infants
- Rapid growth (e.g., adolescence)
The CDC recommends low-dose iron supplementation (—) for all pregnant women,
When should it be given?
30 mg/day
beginning at the first prenatal visit
What are the LABORATORY FINDINGS to asses iron def anemia and are they low or high?
1- Dec Hgb
2- MCV < 80 fl
3- Dec RBC production (low reticulocyte count)
4- Dec serum iron
5- Dec ferritin
6- Dec TSAT
7- Inc TIBC
What is the treatment of iron def anemia?
What is the recommended dose?
Are all formulations equally good?
Should you take it on an empty stomach or with food?
What should you avoid with it? (DDI)
What formulations cause less GI irritation? Are they recommended?
ORAL IRON THERAPY
- Recommended dose: 100-200 mg elemental iron per day
(One oral formulation is not better than another if dosed appropriately based on elemental iron needs.)
- Take iron on an empty stomach
(1 hr before or 2 hrs after meals; can be taken with food if GI upset occurs.) - Avoid H2RAs and PPls; separate from antacids
- Sustained-release or enteric-coated formulations cause less GI irritation but are not recommended due to poor absorption
What are the Goals of ttmt of iron def anemia?
After Anemia has resolved, should you stop ttmt?
- Inc in serum Hgb by 1 g/dl every 2-3 weeks;
- Continue treatment for 3-6 months after anemia has resolved until iron stores return to normal
% ELEMENTAL IRON IN ORAL PRODUCTS
Ferrous gluconate
12%
(Person 1 and 2 are glued together –12)
Ferrous sulfate % elemental iron
20 %
(My fate is in person 2’s hands)
Ferrous sulfate, dried
30 %
(my fate is dried so sar in God’s (trinity) hands)
Ferrous fumarate
33 %
fumarate = furious so badde bas GOD 3 w 3
What iron supplements have 100% elemental iron in them?
1) Carbonyl iron (A car gives 100%)
2) Polysaccharide iron complex (Poly w complex of iron so 100%)
3) Ferric maltol (Rony gave his 100% in Malta)
most IDA you treat with:
oral iron supplements
In what specific condition do you use parenteral iron supplements?
in dialysis
which oral iron supplement is most commonly prescribes and least expensive
Ferrous sulfate
(fate in person 2’s hands is least expensive)
Ferrous sulfate brand/ dose/ Elemental iron %
- FeroSul
- Fer-In-Sol
325 mg (65 mg elemental iron) PO daily to TID
20 % elemental iron
(instead of 365 –> 325)
Ferrous sulfate, dried
brand/ dose/ %elemental iron
- Slow Fe
- Slow Iron
ER tablet
160 mg (50 mg elemental iron) PO daily to TID
30 % elemental iron
Ferrous fumarate
brand/ dose/ % elemental iron
- Ferretts (retts)
- Ferrimin 150 (min?)
- Hemocyte
324 mg (106 mg elemental Iron) PO daily to TID
33%
Ferrous gluconate
brand/dose/%elemental iron
Ferate
324 mg (38 mg elemental iron) PO to TID
(dose is like fumurate and it also took the rate for brand)
12 % elemental iron
Carbonyl iron
- FerraPlus 90
- Ferralet 90
- Iron Chews
90 mg (90 mg elemental iron) PO daily or as directed
100 % elemental iron
Polysaccharide iron complex
- Ferrex 150 (complex –> rex)
150 mg (150 mg elemental iron) PO daily
100 % elemental iron
Ferric maltol
Accrufer (malta has an ecru whitish color)
30 mg (30 mg elemental iron) PO BID (rony stayed there for 3 months)
100% elemental iron
BBW for iron supp:
1) … mainly in ages…
- Accidental overdose of iron-containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6;
- keep iron out of the reach of children;
- in the case of an accidental overdose, go to the emergency department or call a poison control center immediately (even if asymptomatic)
CI for iron supp
- Hemochromatosis (build up too much iron in the skin, heart, liver, pancreas, pituitary gland, and joints)
- Hemolytic anemia (a disorder in which red blood cells are destroyed faster than they can be made)
- Hemosiderosis (an overload of iron in your organs or tissues. About 70 percent of the iron in your body is found in your red blood cells. When your red blood cells die, they release that iron, which becomes hemosiderin.)
SE of iron supp
- Constipation (dose-related)
- Dark and tarry stools
- Nausea
- Stomach upset
Lab monitoring with iron supp
- Hgb
- Iron studies
- RBC indices
- Reticulocyte count
what to take to prevent iron induced constipation
A stool softener such as DOCUSATE is often recommended to prevent iron induced constipation
antidote for iron
Deferoxamine (Desferal)
Drugs that dec iron absorption by inc gastric pH.
- Antacids
- H2RAs
- PPIs
By how long should you space iron and antacids
Patients should take iron 2 hours before or 4 hours after taking antacids.
By how long should you space iron and H2RAs or PPIs?
H2RAs and PPis raise gastric pH for up to 24 hours; separating the administration of these agents from iron supplements does not improve absorption.