Data Interpretation Flashcards
Causes of hypernatraemia
Dehydration
Drips (too much saline)
Drugs
Diabetes insipidus
Causes of microcytic anaemia
Iron deficiency anaemia
Thalassaemia
Sideroblastic anaemia
Causes of normocytic anaemia
Anaemia of chronic disease
Acute blood loss
Haemolytic anaemia
Renal failure (chronic)
Causes of macrocytic anaemia
B12*/folate deficiency
(‘megaloblastic anaemia’)
Excess alcohol
Liver disease (including
nonalcoholic causes)
Hypothyroidism
Haematological diseases beginning
with ‘M’: myeloproliferative,
myelodysplastic, multiple myeloma
Causes of neutrophilia
Bacterial infection
Tissue damage (inflammation/infarct/
malignancy)
Steroids
Causes of neutropenia
Viral infection
Chemotherapy or radiotherapy
Clozapine (antipsychotic)
Carbimazole (antithyroid)
Causes of lymphocytosis (high lymphocytes)
Viral infection
Lymphoma
Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
Causes of thrombocytopenia (low platelets)
Reduced production
Infection (usually viral)
Drugs
Myelodysplasia, myelofibrosis, myeloma
Causes of thrombocytopenia (low platelets)
Increased destruction
Heparin
Hypersplenism
DIC
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
HUS/thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura
Causes of thrombocytosis (high platelets)
Reactive
Bleeding
Tissue damage (infection/inflammation/malignancy)
Post-splenectomy
Causes of thrombocytosis (high platelets)
Primary
Myeloproliferative disorders
Causes of hyponatraemia (hypovolaemic)
Fluid loss (especially diarrhoea/vomiting)
Addison’s disease
Diuretics (any type)
Causes of hyponatraemia (euvolaemia)
SIADH
Psychogenic polydipsia
Hypothyroidism
Causes of hyponatraemia (hypervolaemic)
Heart failure
Renal failure
Liver failure (causing hypoalbuminaemia)
Nutritional failure (causing hypoalbuminaemia)
Thyroid failure (hypothyroidism; can be euvolaemic too)
Causes of hypokalaemia (DIRE)
Drugs (loop and thiazide diuretics)
Inadequate intake or intestinal loss (diarrhoea/vomiting)
Renal tubular acidosis
Endocrine (Cushing’s and Conn’s syndromes)
Causes of hyperkalaemia (DREAD)
Drugs (potassium-sparing diuretics and
ACE-inhibitors)
Renal failure
Endocrine (Addison’s disease)
Artefact (very common, due to clotted
sample)
DKA (note that when insulin is given to treat
DKA the potassium drops requiring regular
(hourly) monitoring +/− replacement)
Causes of raised urea
AKI
Upper GI bleed (make sure to check Hb)
Biochemical disturbance in pre-renal AKI
Urea rise > creatinine rise
Biochemical disturbance in intrinsic renal AKI
Urea rise «
creatinine rise
bladder or
hydronephrosis not
palpable
Biochemical disturbance in post-renal AKI
Urea rise «
creatinine rise
bladder or hydronephrosis may be palpable depending on level of obstruction
Causes of pre-renal AKi
Dehydration (sepsis, blood loss)
Renal artery stenosis
Causes of intrinsic renal AKI
Ischaemia (due to prenal AKI, causing acute
tubular necrosis)
Nephrotoxic antibiotics
Tablets (ACEI, NSAIDs)
Radiological contrast
Injury (rhabdomyolysis)
Negatively birefringent crystals (gout)
Syndromes (glomerulonephridites)
Inflammation (vasculitis)
Cholesterol emboli
Causes of raised ALP
ALKPHOS
Any fracture
Liver damage
Kancer
Paget’s disease of bone and Pregnancy
Hyperparathyroidism
Osteomalacia
Surgery
How do you roughly calculate a normal PaO2 for a patient on oxygen?
by subtracting 10 from the FiO2 and if the PaO2
exceeds this calculated number then the patient is not hypoxic;
if the PaO2 is lower, then the patient is hypoxic.
For example,
a patient on 60% oxygen with an FiO2 of 30kPa is actually hypoxic because one would expect a PaO2 of 50kPa or above (i.e. 60 minus 10).
