Haematology History

Question 1

Anaemia symptoms

Answer 1

Fatigue, shortness of breath, reduced exercise tolerance, lightheadedness, worsening angina, ankle swelling

Question 2

Lymphoma symptoms

Answer 2

enlarged / painful lymph nodes, painful splenomegaly, B symptoms

Question 3

PMH

Answer 3

Common disorders - previous cancer, anaemia, bleeding disorders

recurrent infections, which suggests immunosuppression and may occur in patients with neutropaenia

excessive bleeding or bruising in the past, which may be a symptom of platelet disorders or coagulopathy

Transfusion history and reactions

Transplant history

Question 4

Medication induced haematologic side effects

Answer 4

Bleeding - NSAIDs, antiplatelets, SSRIs

Thrombosis - oral contraceptives, hormone replacement, COX-2 inhibitors, erythropoietin, warfarin (initially)

Anaemia - a large number of drugs may cause immune haemolysis, thrombotic microangiopathy, megaloblastic anaemia, sideroblastic anaemia, aplastic anaemia, pure red cell aplasia, or haemolysis in patients with G-6-PD deficiency