Full Blood Count Flashcards
What are the 6 stages when diagnosing a fever?
- Look at the White Blood Count - is it normal, raised or reduced? If raised: it would suggest infection
- Look at the differential WBC to evaluate the type of infection
- Seek the site of infection e.g. blood, urine, chest, abdomen
- Manage with appropriate antibiotic
- Review patient and vital signs. Improvement?
- Reassess WBC and differential to monitor improvement
What are the 5 stages when diagnosing anaemia?
- Hb is low= patient is anaemic
- Look at the indices: decreased MCV and decreased MCH= microcytic, hypochromic anaemia suggests iron deficiency anaemia
- Further investigate the extent of the iron deficiency e.g. perform iron studies ie. Ferritin
- Management Plan: i) Confirm the cause of the anaemia: chronic blood loss and/or nutritional deficiency ii) Manage menorrhagia e.g. hormonal therapy, IUD
iii) Give oral iron and improve the intake of iron in the diet - Following a period of management reassess the patient and symptoms: Repeat FBC and ferritin looking for evidence of improvement
What 5 things can an increased percentage of neutrophils (neutrophilia) may be due to?
- Acute bacterial infection
- Acute stress
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Rheumatic fever
- Trauma
What 4 things can a decreased percentage of neutrophils (neutropaenia) may be due to?
- Aplastic anaemia
- Chemotherapy and radiation therapy
- Viral infection
- Widespread bacterial infection
What 6 things can an increased percentage of lymphocytes (lymphocytosis) may be due to?
- Chronic bacterial infection
- Infectious hepatitis
- Infectious mononucleosis
- Lymphocytic leukaemia
- Multiple myeloma
- Viral infection (e.g. infectious mononucleosis, mumps, measles)
What 5 things can a decreased percentage of lymphocytes (lymphopaenia) may be due to?
- Chemotherapy
- HIV infection
- Leukaemia
- Radiation therapy
- Sepsis
What 4 things can an increased percentage of monocytes (monocytosis) may be due to?
- Chronic inflammatory disease (e.g. ulcerative colitis, Crohns’s disease)
- Parasitic infection
- Tuberculosis
- Viral infection (e.g. infectious mononucleosis, mumps, measles)
What 4 things can an increased percentage of eosinophils (eosinophilia) may be due to?
- Allergic reaction
- Cancer
- Collagen vascular disease
- Parasitic infection
What is haematocrit the same as?
Packed cell volume (PCV)
What is Erythropoeitin?
Hormone which circulates at all times and controls the production of red blood cells
Where is Erythropoeitin produced?
- Majority is produced in the kidneys
- Small amount is produced by the liver
What happens during hypoxia?
Kidney cells release increased amounts of EPO, stimulating the bone marrow cells to produce more erythrocytes from cells which are already committed to become erythrocytes
What 3 things stimulates the release of Erythropoeitin?
- Decreased haemoglobin levels in the blood
- Decreased PO2
- Increased tissue demand for oxygen.
What 3 things inhibit Erythropoeitin release?
- Increased blood oxygen
- Increased erythrocyte levels
- Increased haemoglobin levels
Describe a neutrophil?
- Most numerous
- Nucleus divided into 2-5 lobes
- 1st responders of inflammatory cells
