Haemopoiesis Flashcards
Where is bone marrow found in an adult?
Pelvis Sternum Skull Ribs Vertebrae
Where is bone marrow found in an infant?
Throughout the skeleton
How is bone marrow obtained?
Trephine biopsy (aspiration of bone marrow, rarely done now) GCSF mobilised stem cells in the peripheral blood, collected by leucopharesis Umbilical cord stem cells at time of normal delivery
Which hormone controls differentiation of HPSCs into common myeloid progenitors?
Interleukin-3
Which adult tissue/cell has the greatest power of self-renewal?
Haemopoietic stem cell
What can HSPC’s do?
Self-renewal
Differentiate into variety of specialised cells
Mobilise out of bone marrow into circulating blood
Apoptosis
What are the phagocytic cells?
Monocytes Macrophages Kupffer cells Tissue histiocytes Microglial cells in CNS
What is the reticuloendothelial system?
Part of the immune system, made up of a network of tissue and cells which contain phagocytic cells
Can identify and mount an appropriate immune response to foreign antigens
Main organs are spleen and liver
Extra cellular fluid travels via lymphatics to the lymph nodes
Eg. Since all blood passes through the spleen, the RES cells in the spleen can dispose of damaged or old red blood cells
What makes up the spleen?
Red pulp (sinuses lined by endothelial macrophages and cords) and white pulp (similar structure to lymphoid follicles)
How do different cells move through the spleen?
Blood enters through the splenic artery
White cells and plasma preferentially pass through the white pulp
Red cells preferentially pass through the red pulp
What are the functions of the spleen in adults?
Sequestration and phagocytosis (old/abnormal red cells removed by macrophages)
Blood pooling
What is the name of a condition where the spleen is abnormally large?
Splenomegaly
How do you palpate a patient to diagnose an enlarged spleen?
Start in Right Lower Quadrant, move towards costal margin after exhalation
It is never normal to palpate the spleen below the costal margin - splenomegaly
The spleen should move towards hand upon inspiration
Measure in cm from costal margin in mid-clavicular line
What are the possible causes of splenomegaly?
Back pressure (portal hypertension in liver disease)
Over working red pulp
Over working white pulp
Reverting to foetal function (extramedullary haemopoiesis)
Infiltration by cells that shouldn’t be there (blood cancer eg leukaemia, other cancer metastases)
Infiltration by other material (Gaucher’s disease, sarcoidosis)
What does Gaucher’s disease do to the spleen and liver?
Enlarges it
What could cause massive splenomegaly?
Chronic myeloid leukaemia, myelofibrosis, malaria, schistosomiasis
What could cause moderate splenomegaly?
Chronic myeloid leukaemia, myelofibrosis, malaria, schistosomiasis
Plus, lymphoma, leukaemia, myeloproliferative disorders, liver cirrhosis with portal hypertension, infections such as Glandular fever caused by EBV
What could cause mild splenomegaly?
Chronic myeloid leukaemia, myelofibrosis, malaria, schistosomiasis
Plus, lymphoma, leukaemia, myeloproliferative disorders, liver cirrhosis with portal hypertension, infections such as Glandular fever caused by EBV
Plus, infections such as infectious hepatitis, endocarditis, infiltrative disorders such as sarcoidosis, autoimmune diseases such as AIHA, ITP, SLE
What is hypersplenism?
Overactive spleen
Results in low blood counts due to pooling of blood in an enlarged spleen
What are the risks associated with having an enlarged spleen?
Hypersplenism
Risk of rupture if enlarged and no longer protected by rib cage
If ruptured, can lead to a haematoma in the capsule around the spleen, leading to hypovolaemia and even death
Infarction, as when spleen enlarges its tissues get squashed and so don’t get enough oxygen, leading to tissue death
What is hyposplenism?
Underactive spleen
Lack of functioning splenic tissue
What can cause hyposplenism?
Splenectomy
Sickle cell disease (typically not in young children)
Coeliac disease
What are Howell Jolly bodies?
DNA remnants in erythrocytes
How can a blood film show an underachieve spleen?
Hyposplenia can be seen if Howell Jolly bodies are present (DNA remnants in erythrocytes). They look like normal RBCs but have a little black dot inside.
Why is hyposplenism so dangerous?
It puts patients at very high risk of sepsis, especially from encapsulated organisms eg. Pneumococcus, Haemophilus influenzae, Meningococcus
If patients have an underactive they are put on prophylactic penicillin for the rest of their lives, eg. if they have sickle cell disease
What is the normal RBC count?
4.4 - 5.9 x10^12 /l
What is the normal Hb value?
13.5 - 16.7 g/dl
What is the normal Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) value and what does it mean?
80 - 100 fl
The size of the RBCs
What are the functions of RBCs?
Deliver oxygen to the tissues Carry haemoglobin Maintain haemoglobin in its reduced (ferrous) state Maintain osmotic equilibrium Generate energy