Definition of Anemia Flashcards
Perform the vital physiologic function
of oxygen delivery to tissues
Red Blood Cells
Has the remarkable capacity to bind oxygen in the lungs and release it appropriately in tissues
Hemoglobin
The term anemia is derived from the greek word _____ which means _____
anaima, “without blood”
A decrease in hemoglobin concentration or number of RBCs results in decrease oxygen delivery to tissue, resulting in _____________
Tissue Hypoxia
What is a decrease in the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood?
Anemia
Anemia can arise if there is ______________ or he hemoglobin has impaired function.
insufficient hemoglobin
Derived from large pools of healthy individuals
reference intervals
They are listed according to age and sex, but race, environmental, and laboratory factors can also influence the values.
Hematologic reference intervals
Two important components in making a clinical diagnosis of anemia
History and physical examination
Two classic symptoms associated with anemia
Fatigue and shortness of breath
Iron deficiency can lead to an interesting symptom of anemia called _____
pica
Patients with pica have cravings for _________
unusual substances such as ice (pagophagia), cornstarch, or clay
What are the three certain features that should be evaluated closely during the physical examination to provide clues to hematologic disorders?
Skin (for petechiae)
Eyes (for pallor, jaundice, and hemorrhage)
Mouth (for mucosal bleeding)
It is important for the assessment of anemia, because it may be due to increased RBC destruction, which suggests a hemolytic component to the anemia.
Jaundice
Patients experiencing a rapid fall in hemoglobin concentration typically have ________
Tachycardia (fast heart rate)
If the anemia is long-standing, the heart rate of patients is ________ because of the body’s ability to compensate for the anemia
normal
It may case pallor of conjunctivae and nail beds but may not produce clinical symptoms if the onset of anemia is slow
Moderate anemia
Depending on the patient’s age and cardiovascular state, symptoms such as _______, _______, ________, __________, and __________ can occur.
dyspnea, vertigo, headache, muscle weakness, and lethargy
It usually produces tachycardia, hypotension, and other symptoms of volume loss.
Severe anemia
The severity of anemia is gauged by _________, ___________, and ____________.
degree of reduction in hemoglobin, cardiopulmonary adaptation, and the rapidity of progression of the anemia
In cases of severe blood loss, such as in trauma, blood volume decreases and hypotension develops, resulting in ______________
decreased blood supply to the brain and heart
A sympathetic overdrive as an immediate adaptation results in _________________
increasing heart rate, respiratory rate, and cardiac output
In severe anemia, blood is preferentially shunted to organs that are ___________
key to survival, including the brain, muscle, and heart
Tissue hypoxia triggers an increase in ___________ that shifts the oxygen dissociation curve to the right
RBC 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate
What are the two body responses to acute (sudden) loss of blood that occur within minutes to hours?
- Increase in heart rate, respiratory rate, and cardiac output, which increases the flow of oxygenated blood.
- Redistribution of blood flow from skin to essential organs (brain, heart, muscles)
What are the two body responses to slowly developing anemia that occur over days to weeks?
- Increase in erythrocyte 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate which decreases hemoglobin’s affinity for oxygen and allows more oxygen release to tissues.
- Increase in erythropoietin production by kidneys, which increases erythropoiesis and promotes release of more red blood cells into circulation
Reduced oxygen delivery to tissues caused by _________________ elicits an increase in erythropoietin secretion by the kidneys
reduced hemoglobin concentration
It stimulates the erythroid precursors in the bone marrow, which leads to the release of more RBCs into the circulation.
Erythropoietin
What is the life span of an RBC in circulation?
about 120 days
Approximate how many percent each of RBCs are removed from circulation because of senescence in a healthy individual?
1%
__________________ cells differentiate into erythroid precursor cells, and the ______________ releases release reticulocytes (immature anucleated RBCs) that mature into RBCs in the peripheral circulation
hematopoietic stem cells, bone marrow
Nutritional factors such as ______, __________, and _______ are required to have adequate RBC production.
iron, vitamin B12, and folate
Aside from requiring several nutritional factors to have adequate RBC production, ________________ must also function normally.
Globin (polypeptide chain) synthesis
In conditions with excessive bleeding or hemolysis, the bone marrow must __________________
increase RBC production to compensate for the increased RBC loss
The maintenance of a stable hemoglobin concentration requires the production of _____________ in sufficient numbers to replace the amount lost.
functionally normal RBCs
