Haematology Flashcards
Haemophilia A + B have which inheritance pattern?
X-linked recessive
Is haemophilia A or B more common?
A
Haemophilia A is a deficiency of which clotting factor?
Factor 8
Haemophilia B is a deficiency of which clotting factor?
Factor 9
How is mild haemophilia defined
Haematomas following severe trauma
How is moderate haemophilia defined
Haematomas following mild trauma
How is severe haemophilia defined
Spontaneous haematomas
Haemophilia causes ? PT and ? APTT
Normal PT
Prolonged APTT
What special test can you do with blood to confirm a diagnosis of haemophilia?
Mixing study
Mixing patients blood with external plasma will correct the APTT
Besides replacing factor 8, what else can be used to treat haemophilia A?
Desmopressin (vasopressin triggers the release of factor VIII from endothelial cells)
What is the most common inherited bleeding disorder?
Von Willebrand Disease
In VWD what happens to bleeding time, PT and APTT?
Bleeding time increased
PT normal
APTT sometimes normal, sometimes raised
VWD causes high/low factor 8 levels?
Low
Factor VIII levels are a good assessment for vWD because this factor is found bound to vWF in blood, in which state it is protected from rapid breakdown
How do you manage VWD?
Recombinant VWF
Desmopressin (stimulated VWF release from endothelial cells)
Factor 8 concentrate
Which type of VWD won’t respond to Desmopressin?
Type 3
What is the inheritance pattern for type 1 VDW?
Autosomal dominant
What is the inheritance pattern for type 2 VWD?
Autosomal dominant
What is the inheritance pattern for type 3 VWD?
Autosomal recessive
How is type 1 VWD described?
A quantitative deficiency of VWF
How is type 2 VWD described?
A qualitative defect in VWF
How is type 3 VWD described?
Complete absence of VWF
What are the two main types of acute leukaemia?
Acute lymphocytic leukaemia
Acute myeloid leukaemia
Does ALL more commonly affect children or adults?
Children
Does AML more commonly affect children or adults?
Adults
Which cells develop from the lymphocytic cell line?
Natural killer cells
B cells –> plasma cells
T cells
Which cells develop from the myeloid cell line?
Basophils
Eosinophils
Neutrophils
Describe the pathophysiology of acute leukaemia
Acquired gene mutations affect how bone marrow cells divide and mature
Either lymphoid/myeloid stem cells proliferate but differentiation/maturation stops in the early stages
This results in accumulation of abnormal and dysfunctional blasts
This disrupts normal haematopoiesis –> leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, anaemia
Abnormal cells also infiltrate organs such as liver, spleen, nodes, skin
Risk factors for ALL
Risk factors = often none, HTLV (Human T-cell lymphotropic virus), Down syndrome, neurofibromatosis type 1, ataxia telangiectasia
Risk factors for AML
Risk factors = pre-existing haematopoietic disorder (myelodysplastic syndromes, aplastic anaemia, myeloproliferative disorders), previous chemotherapy or radiation, smoking, benzene exposure, Down syndrome, Fanconi anaemia
Clinical features of acute leukaemia
Sudden onset, rapid progression over days/weeks
Fatigue, pallor, weakness
Bleeding, petechiae, purpura
Frequent infections, fever
Features that are more common/specific to AML rather than ALL
Leukaemia cutis/myeloid sarcoma (blue/puruple/grey nodular skin lesions)
Gingival hyperplasia
Extremely high WBC counts that can cause leukostasis
Features that are more common/specific to ALL rather than AML
Fever and constitutional sx Lymphadenopathy Hepatosplenomegaly Bone pain Mediastinal involvement CNS involvement
Are Auer rods seen in ALL or AML
AML
What is ‘leukaemic hiatus’ on blood film?
A way to differentiate AML from CML
In CML myeloid cells of all stages are present whereas in AML its mainly blasts and mature (no in-between).
What are the nuclei of lymphoblasts like in ALL
Large and irregular
What are the nuclei of myeloblasts like in AML
Round or kidney shape
Is myeloperoxidase positive or negative in ALL and AML
Negative in ALL
Positive in AML
What symptoms/problems can leukostasis cause?
Chest pain, headache, altered mental status, priapism, DIC
What is tumour lysis syndrome?
Rapid destruction of tumour cells causing a massive release of intracellular components –> renal damage
What happens to K, Ca, PO4 and urea in tumour lysis syndrome?
High K
High PO4
Low Ca
High urea
What are some clinical features of tumour lysis syndrome?
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy, haematuria, seizures, arrhythmias, tetany, muscle cramps, paraesthesia
What is the basic pathological difference between acute and chronic leukaemia?
In acute leukaemia cells dont mature
In chronic leukaemia cells don’t work effectively (CLL cells dont die as they should, CML cells divide too quickly)
What are the two main types of chronic leukaemia?
Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
Chronic myeloid leukaemia
Who tends to be affected by CLL?
Elderly men
What are some clinical features of CLL?
Constitutional/B symptoms Painless lymphadenopathy Recurrent infections Sx of anaemia Sx of thrombocytopenia Chronic pruritus/urticaria Hepatomegaly/splenomegaly
What would an FBC show in CLL?
Persistent lymphocytosis with high percentage of small mature lymphocytes
Granulocytopenia
Anaemia
Thrombocytopenia
What does blood film show in CLL?
Smudge cells (Gumprecht shadows)
Is CLL a low or high grade malignancy?
Low grade
What is Richter’s transformation/syndrome?
Transformation of CLL into a high grade NHL
How can Richter’s transformation/syndrome present?
Rapidly progressive lymphadenopathy
New onset of B symptoms
High LDH
What are the three distinct clinical phases of CML?
Chronic
Accelerated
Terminal/Blast crisis
Describe the chronic phase of CML
The chronic phase is characterized by nonspecific symptoms (fever, weight loss, night sweats) and splenomegaly and can persist for up to 10 years
Describe the accelerated phase of CML
The accelerated phase is characterized by complications secondary to the suppression of the other cell lines (thrombocytopenia, anemia, neutropenia, recurrent infections, leukostasis). Develop extreme splenomegaly in accelerated phase and this is often a sign of transition to terminal phase.