Haematology Flashcards
What causes alpha thalassemia and how is it inherited?
Defective alpha glob in chain of haemaglobin
AR inheritence
- silent carrier (heterozygous)
- Alpha thal minor (2 defective genes)
- HbH (3 defective genes)
- Hb Barts Hydrops Fetalis (all 4 defective genes) 4 gamma chains as no alpha chains
What will alpha thalassemia blood tests show?
Low Hb, Low MCV and MCH
Blood film: hypochromic microcytic RBC, +/- target and golf cells
haemoglobin electrophoresis: HbH may be present
gene testing can confirm
treatment for alpha and beta thalassemia
mild: nil
severe : tranfusions
if beta thalassemia major may also need iron chelating agents or spleenomegaly
What causes beta thalassemia and how is it inherited?
AR inherited - most commonly seen in Mediterranean, African and South East Asian populations
Usually due to a point mutation messing up beta thalassemia production
Can be minor, intermedia or major
What are the symptoms of Beta- thalassemia major and when do they start
SOB, pallor, fatigue
Hepatospleenomegaly
Hypoxia from haemolysis
Jaundice from excessive bilirubin
secondary haemachromatosis due to excessive heme/iron
chipmunk facies / crew cut skull
start in the first 3-6 months of life
What will beta thalassemia blood tests show?
Low Hb, Low MCV and MCH
Blood film: hypochromic microcytic RBC, +/- target cells
High ferritin, serum iron and transferinand bilirubin may be present
gene testing can confirm
Signs and blood findings of folate deficiency
Signs of anaemia
Glossitis
IHD sx: CP, atherosclerosis
Neural tube defects in newborns
Pancytopenia: anaemia, WBC and RBC precursers affected
What is myelofibrosis ?
Where the bone marrow gets fibrosed /replaced with connective tissue
Primary: JAK-stat pathway overactivated and fill the bone with abnormal cells (platlets and fibroblasts) that make too much connective tissue
Secondary: Essential thrombocythemia, or PCV
Bloods for haemachromatosis will show
High iron/ferritin
High transferrin sat % (as lots of transferrin binding sites occupied by iron)
Low TIBC (as less binding sites available to carry iron)
Treatment of haematchormatosis
regular venesections
+/- iron chelating agents
What causes Auto immune haemolytic anaemia
- Idiopathic
- trigger: vira linfections, SLE, lymphoma/leukemia, penicillin,cephalosporin
Col dcan also be triggered by mycoplasma, EBV/galndular fever
How does autoimmune haemolytic anaemia happen
Body creates antibodies against our own RBCs
Broken down in the liver/spleen
Warm AI haemolytic anaemia vs cold
Warm: due to IgG antibodies at warm >37degrees bind to RBCs and induce haemolysis
Cold (rare): IgM antibodies at 0-10 degrees
Bloods for autoimmuen haemolytic anaemi
Low Hb
Normal MCV (as bone marrow pumps out lots of reticulocytes which are the same size as RBCs)
High reticulocytes
high LDH, bilirubin and iron (due to RBC break down)
direct coombs or antigen test
Treatment of autoimmune haemolytic anaemia
- RBC transfusion
- Steroids or immunosuppresives
- plasmophoresis for severe cases
CML vs CLL
which cells are affected
CML: issue with neu, basophils, eosinophils
CLL: lymphocytes (B cells and T cells)
CML is caused by
Switch between chromosome 9 and 22 causing philidelphia chromosome t(9:22) which causes inappropriate myeloid cell division
ofted builds up in the spleen and liver (hepatospleenomegaly)
CLL ic caused by
excessive B and T cells
Builds up in lympnodes first, (lyphadenopathy) causing small lymphomas
Treatment of CML vs CLL
CML : Biological therapy to target protein from t(9:22)
As there isn’t a specific CLL target the therapy involves chemo, stem cell transplants or bone marrow transplants
Symptoms of myelofibrosis
- bone pain
- fatigue
- itching
- weightloss
- can cause hepatospleenomegaly and pulm HTN, excessive clotting and VTE