HAEM 231 Anaemia Flashcards
What are the features of an erythrocyte that allow it to be effective at its job?
Flexible - fit through capilliaries
Strong membrane - withstand shear forces
Biconcave - increase SA for gas exchange
Hb - o2 binding molecule
Where is EPO produced from?
peritubular cells in the renal cortex
What does EPO stimulate?
stem cells in the bone marrow to produce erythroid precursors and further maturation
How is iron supplied to erythroprojenitor cells?
by macrophages
What is EPO made in response to?
tissue hypoxia
Where is iron absorped from?
small intestine
What does iron attach to in plasma?
transferrin
What does some iron attach to for storage in the liver?
apoferritin
What system recycles iron?
reticuloendothelial system
Why is there a normocytic anaemia in chronic renal disease?
decreased EPO production therefore decreased red cells
What will reticulocytes increase in response to?
haemolysis, haemmorhage or haematinic deficiency rx
Why is iron deficiency anaemia microcytic hypochromic
due to increased rbc divisions to try and make up for demand but lack of iron - needed for haemoglobin
What is the haematinic profile in iron deficiency anaemia?
decreased serum iron, increased TIBC, decreased serum ferritin and increased SSTR
What are the 4 important proteins in red cell structure?
spectrin, actin, protein 4.1 and ankyrin
What would a defect in the spectrin protein of RBCs give you?
haemolytic anaemia - hereditary spherocytosis or eliptocytosis
