Hematology Flashcards
How much blood is in our bodies?
About 6 quarts (5.5 Liters)
What percentage of blood volume is plasma?
50-55%
What percentage of blood is made up of water?
92%
- the other 8% consists of dissolved solutes
What is blood serum?
Serum is plasma that has been allowed to clot in the lab to remove fibrinogen and other clotting factors
What is albumin?
- Is about 60% of total plasma
- Is a carrier molecule (regulate the passage between water and solutes through capillaries)
Who would you typically look at albumin levels for?
- liver disease
- kidney disease
- dehydration
CNS Symptoms of Anemia
- fatigue
- dizziness
- fainting
Cardiac Symptoms of Anemia
- Low blood pressure
- Palpitations
- Rapid heart rate (or arrhythmia)
- Chest pain
- Angina
- Heart attack
Eye Symptoms of Anemia
Yellowing of the eyes
Skin Symptoms of Anemia
- Paleness
- Coldness
- Yellowing
Respiratory Symptoms of Anemia
Shortness of breath
Muscular Symptoms of Anemia
Weakness
Intestinal Symptoms of Anemia
Changed stool color
Complications of Anemia
- Severe fatigue
- Arrhythmias –> CHF
- Nerve damage (vitamin B12 is essential for healthy nerve function)
- Impaired mental function (a shortage of B12 can also affect cognitive status)
- DEATH
Diagnosis/Evaluation of Anemia
- History of symptoms
- Complete medical history
- History of anemia
- History of bleeding
- History of imaging (colonoscopy, CT scan, Xray, ultrasounds)
Laboratory Tests for Anemia
CBC to measure the cells contained in the blood (hematocrit is the volume of RBCs) and the hemoglobin is the molecule that fills up the cell and gives the cell its red color.
**Differential on a CBC will examine the blood cells under a microscope for size, shape, and color
Components of RBC Indices
- RBC
- WBC
- MCV
- MCH
- MCHC
- RDW
- Platelets
- MPV
- Hct
- Hgb
MCV
Mean Corpuscular Volume
- average volume of a RBC
- allows classification as either a microcytic anemia (low MCV), normocytic anemia (normal MCV), or macrocytic anemia (high MCV)
MCH
Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin
- average hemoglobin content in a red blood cell
- hemoglobin contains iron, which gives blood its characteristic red color (hyper/hypochromic)
MCHC
Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration
- is the average hemoglobin per RBC
RDW
is the red blood cell distribution which provides information regarding RBC size
Disorders of Microcytic RBCs
- Iron deficiency anemia
- Anemia of chronic inflammation
- Thalassemias
- Lead poisoning
Normocytic Anemias
- Hemolytic anemias
- Hypersplenism
- Acute blood loss
- Anemias of chronic disease
Disorders of Macrocytic RBCs
- Vitamin B12 deficiency
- Folic acid deficiency
- Liver disease
- Hypothyroidism
- Reticulocytes
Other Lab Tests for Anemia
- Iron (Fe)
- TIBC
- Ferritin
- B12 levels
- Folate
- MMA
- LDH
- Urinalysis (hematuria)
- Occult stool
Elevated Iron (Fe)
Consider:
1. pernicious anemia
2. thalassemia
3. lead poisoning
4. estrogens
5. excessive iron intake
Decreased Iron (Fe)
Consider:
1. iron-deficiency anemia
2. hypothyroidism
3. malignancy
4. chronic renal failure
TIBC
Total Iron Binding Capacity