Haematology Flashcards
What is haemostatic system?
responsbile for maintaining blood fluidity and preventing blood loss by activating rapid, localised clotting at sites of vascular damage.
What is haematopoiesis?
Making of blood cells - starting from pluripotent set cell which gives rise to different blood cells
Which cells do platelets originate from?
Megakaryocytes
What is Full Blood Count for?
Broad screening test that checks for disorders such as anaemia, infection and much more.
What is WBC in FBC?
White Blood Cell count.
the actual number of white blood cells per volume of blood.
What is white blood cell differential in FBC?
Looks at types of white blood cells present.
5 types: neutrophils, lymphocytes, moocytes, eosinophils and basophils.
What is RBC in FBC?
Red Blood Cell count.
the actual number of red blood cells per volume of blood.
What is haemocrit in FBC?
Measures the amount of space red blood cells take up in the blood.
Reported as a percentage (0 to 100) or proportion (0 to 1) .
What is platelet count in FBC?
number of platelets in given volume of blood.
What are platelets important for?
Integral to haemostats
Aid inflammatory and immune responses. Help maintain vascular integrity
Contribute to wound healing
What is mean platelet volume in FBC?
machine calculated measurement of the average size of your platelets.
New platelets are larger. increased MPV occurs when increased number of platelets are produced.
What is MCV in FBC?
Mean corpuscular volume.
Measurement of average size of RBCs.
Decreased MCV = RBCs smaller than normal, may indicate iron deficiency anaemia, inflammation or sometimes thalassaemias
What is MCH in FBC?
Mean corposcular haemoglobin
Calculation of the amount of O2 carrying haemoglobin inside your RBCs.
What is MCHC in FBC?
Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration.
The concentration of Hb in RBCs
Decreased seen where Hb is abnormally seen diluted inRBCs - such as iron deficiency anaemia or thalassaemia
Increased such as spherocytosis
Helps with interpretation of MCH and diagnosing specific red cell disorders.
What is RDW in FBC
Red cell distribution width
Calculates variation in the size of your RBcs
In some anaemias such as iron deficiency there is increase in variation of RBC size
When might eosinophil WBC count be higher in FBC
Due to atopy or drug allergies.
Hodgkins lymphoma
Bone marrow disorder
Vasculitis
When might neutrophil count be raised in FBC?
Dynamic so can vary day to day. Normal varies between ethnic groups
When might lymphocyte be different in FBC?
Increased or decreased by viral infection
Increased in chronic lymphocytic leukemia
When might monocyte be raised in FBC?
Some types of infection e.g TB
or bone marrow disorder e.g. myelodysplasia
When might basophil be changed in FBC?
Increased with some infections, inflammatory disorders, and some bone marrow disorders eg chronic myeloid leukaemia.
when might RBC be increased in FBC
When too many are made, and with fluid loss due to diahrrohea dehydration and burns
The might MCV be increased in FBC?
Elevated = RBC larger than normal e.g. in anemia caused by folic acid deficiency.
Liver disease
Underactive htroid
Pregnany
Alcohol Excess
When might platelets count be increased in FBC?
Bleeding Inflammation Infection Surgery Bone marrow disorders Absent or underactive spleens
When might platelets count be decreased in FBC?
Immune conditions such as SLE or ITP Vitamin deficiences Some drugs esp chemo liver disease alcoholicism enlarged speleen Wiskott Aldrich
