Hematological Conditions

Question 1

Iron deficiency anemia labs

Answer 1

• low serum ferritin
• low serum iron
• high TIBC

Question 2

What is TIBC

Answer 2

Total iron-binding capacity. Measures the blood’s ability to attach itself to iron and transport it around the body.

Question 3

What does a high TIBC indicate?

Answer 3

Iron deficiency anemia. When there isn’t much iron to attach to you’ll have a lot of free transferrin in your blood

Question 4

What is transferrin

Answer 4

A protein your liver makes that attaches to iron in your blood. Once iron is bound to transferrin it goes to your bone marrow to make RBCs and hemoglobin

Question 5

What is RDW?

Answer 5

Red cell distribution width. Is the variation of size/volume of your RBCs [how equal or unequal RBCs are in size]. Normally RBCs are relatively equal in shape and size. In some conditions/diseases can distort their shape or be smaller or larger than normal.

Question 6

What does it mean to have a low RDW?

Answer 6

RBCs are roughly similar in size, which is normal and desirable

Question 7

What does it mean to have a high RDW?

Answer 7

RBCs produced in different sizes [high variation]. There is some issue with red blood cell production or survival

Question 8

What could a high RDW indicate

Answer 8

Nutrient deficiency anemia

Question 9

What is MCV

Answer 9

Mean corpuscular volume.

The average size [volume] of the RBC in your body

Question 10

What does low MCV mean?

Answer 10

RBCs are smaller than normal (microcytic).

Question 11

How can Iron deficiency cause low MCV

Answer 11

W/o enough iron in the body, RBCs cannot make hemoglobin= smaller RBC size

Question 12

What does it mean to have high MCV?

Answer 12

RBCs are bigger than normal (macrocytic)

Question 13

What are some causes of high MCV?

Answer 13

Vitamin B12 or Folate deficiency.

Question 14

What is MCHC?

Answer 14

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration.
The average amount of hemoglobin per RBC, relative to the size of the cell [what percentage of RBC are made up of hemoglobin]. An indirect measure of how much hemoglobin you have

Question 15

What does decreased MCHC cause?

Answer 15

hypochromia, which makes the red blood cells paler

Question 16

What does increased MCHC cause?

Answer 16

RBCs to become darker or hyperchromia

Question 17

what does a low MCHC cause and is a sign of?

Answer 17

Hypochromia or paler RBCs.
Sign of anemia. Iron is necessary to produce hemoglobin, so if you are deficient in iron, you will produce less hemoglobin for each given RBC

Question 18

What could cause high MCHC?

Answer 18

Vitamin B12 and Folate Deficiency because they can impair the production of red blood cells without affecting hemoglobin.

Question 19

What is MCH?

Answer 19

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin. Measure of the average amount of hemoglobin in your RBCs

Question 20

Why do MCH and MCV values usually parallel each other?

Answer 20

When RBCs increase, MCH usually follows. [Bigger red blood cells can fit in more hemoglobin].

Question 21

What does low MCH mean and what usually causes it?

Answer 21

RBCs contain less hemoglobin than normal usually means they are smaller than normal. Iron deficiency

Question 22

What does high MCH indicate?

Answer 22

RBCs contain more hemoglobin than normal. This usually also means that they are larger than normal

Question 23

What can cause high MCH

Answer 23

anemia due to vitamin B12 or Folate deficiency

Question 24

What are platelets and why do they matter?

Answer 24

are small blood cells that help blood to clot. When a blood vessel gets damaged, platelets gather at the damaged site and make a plug (clot). Clotting helps slow down and stop bleeding and helps wounds heal

Question 25

What does a low platelet count mean?

Answer 25

also known as thrombocytopenia. When there are not enough platelets, the blood doesn’t clot well, which can cause excessive bleeding and prevent wounds from healing properly

Question 26

What are some main reasons for low platelets?

Answer 26

• hemodilution
• there is an issue with making platelets
• they are destroyed faster than normal.

Question 27

what are some causes of low platelets?

Answer 27

infections and nutrient deficiencies

Question 28

What is hemoglobin?

Answer 28

four proteins or chains each of the four chains contain a ‘heme’ part. Heme is the molecule containing iron.

Question 29

what is the main function of hemoglobin?

Answer 29

transport oxygen from the lungs to tissues, and carbon dioxide (CO2) from the tissues to the lungs

Question 30

What does it mean if you have low hemoglobin?

Answer 30

your blood carries oxygen less efficiently.

Question 31

What are some things that can cause low hemoglobin?

Answer 31

nutrient deficiency,

blood loss

Question 32

What is hematocrit?

Answer 32

it is the percentage of RBC in your blood or percentage of RBC volume compared to your total blood volume

Question 33

what is ferritin?

Answer 33

a protein complex that stores iron in a soluble, non-toxic form, and transports it to areas where it is required. Blood ferritin is an indirect indicator of the total amount of iron stored in the body. Therefore, is used as a diagnostic test for iron-deficiency anemia

Question 34

What do low levels of ferritin indicate?

Answer 34

signal that the body’s iron stores are low

Question 35

What could high levels of ferritin indicate

Answer 35

can go up from stress, infections, or inflammatory state