Hematology Flashcards
What is the definition of anemia?
A reduction in RBC number or in hgb concentration to a level that is more than two standard deviations below the mean
The Hgb is ______ at birth and reaches the physiologic lowest point between _ and _ months of age in the term infant (between _ and _ months in the preterm infant)
The Hgb is high at birth and reaches the physiologic lowest point between 3 and 4 months of age in the term infant (between 1 and 2 months in the preterm infant)
What is a major constitutent of Hgb during fetal and early postnatal life? When does it disappear?
Fetal hemoglobin (Hgb F); Disappears by 6-9 months of age
Classificaiton of anemia is based on what two parameters?
Mean corpuscular volume
Morphologic appearance of the RBC (size, color, shape)
What is the meaning of microcytic, hypochromic anemia?
Small, pale RBCs; low MCV
Why is the reticulocyte count helpful?
Reticulocyte count reflects the number of immature RBCs in circulation; Low reticulocyte counts indicate bone marrow failure or diminished hematopoiesis
What are the two most common causes of microcytic hypochromic anemias during childhood?
Iron deficiency anemia and ß-thalassemia trait
What causes the majority of iron deficiency anemia?
Inadequate iron intake
In what two age groups is nutritional iron deficiency most common? Why?
9-24 months of age: owing to inadequate intake and inadequate iron stores
Adolescent girls: because of poor diet, rapid growth, and loss of iron in menstrual blood
What are some clinical features of moderate anemia?
- Weakness and fatigue
- Decreased exercise tolerance
- Irritability
- Tachycardia
- Tachypnea
- Anorexia
- Systolic heart murumur
What types of occult blood loss can lead to iron deficiency anemia?
Secondary to polyps, Meckel’s diverticulum, IBD, PUD, and early digestion of whole cow’s milk (iron-poor) beore age 1
Describe the mechanism leading to increased tranferrin in iron deficiency anema?
Iron stores disappear first leading to low serum ferritin; As serum iron decreases iron binding capacity increases manifested as increased transferrin and decreased transferrin saturation
Why is ferritin not always a reliable marker of iron deficiency anemia?
Because ferritin is also an acute-phase reactant, it may be increased in infection, disease states, and stress
In management of iron deficiency anemia, iron is given with ______ to enhance intestinal absorption
Vitamin C (orange juice)
What is the major Hgb in RBCs? What is it made up of?
Hemoglobin A1; A tetramer of two α chains and two ß chians
α-thalassemia results from…
ß-thalassemia results from…
Defective α-globin chain synthesis
Defective ß-globin chain synthesis
Why do thalessemias lead to increased size of bones in the face and skull?
Both types of thalassemia result in hemolysis that elads to increased bone marrow activity; as marrow activity increases, the marrow spaces enlarge, increasing the size of bones
What are the four disease states of α-thalassemia?
- Silent carrier: only one α-globin gene is deleted
- α-thalasssemia minor: Two α-globin genes are deleted; patients have mild anemia
- Hgb H disease (Bart’s): Three α-globin genes are deleted and patients have severe anemia at birth with an an elevated Hgb Bart’s
- Fetal hydrops: Four α-globin genes are deleted; infant dies in utero
What is ß-thalassemia major?
May be caused by either total absence of the ß-globin chains or deficient ß-globin chain production
α-thalassemia is most common in…
ß-thalassemia is most common in
α-thalassemia: Southeast Asians
ß-thalassemia: Mediterranean background
What are the clinical features of ß-thalassemia?
- Hemolytic anemia beginning in infancy
- Hepatosplenomegaly
- Bone marrow hyperplasia (thalassemia facies)
- Delayed growth and puberty may be present
What are the laboratory findings of ß-thalassemia?
- Severe hypochromia and microcytosis
- Target cells and poikilocytes
- Elevated unconjugated bilirubin, serum iron, and LDH
- Low or absent Hgb A and elevated Hgb F
How does ß-thalassemia lead to hemochromatosis? How can this be delayed?
Hemochromatosis is caused by increased iron absorption from the intestine and from iron transfused in transfused RBCs; Chelation of iron with deferoxamine promotes iron excretion and may help delay hemochromatosis
How do you treat ß-thalassemia minor?
What misdiagnosis can lead to harmful treatment of ß-thalassemia minor?
No treatment is required
Iron deficiency anemia (may be treated inappropriately with iron when iron level in ß-thalassemia minor is normal or elevated)
What leads to ring sideroblasts in sideroblastic anemia?
Ring sideroblasts result from the accumulation of iron in the mitochondria of RBC precursors
What aside from iron deficiency anemia, thalassemia and sideroblastic anemia can cause microcytic hypochromic anemia?
Lead toxicity and anemia of chronic disease
Macrocytic (megaloblastic) anemias are characterized by MCV > __
What are the two major causes in children?
95
Folic acid and Vitamin B12 deficiencies
What can lead to folic acid deficiency?
- Diet lacking uncooked fresh fruits and vegetables
- Exclusive feedings with goat’s milk
- Decreased intestinal absorption due to celiac disease, enteritis, chron’s disease…
What medications can lead to folic acid deficiency?
Anticonvulsants and oral contraceptives
To be absorbed, dietary vitamin B12 must first combine with _______ secreted by _____ _______ cells; Absorption occurs in the _______ ______
To be absorbed, dietary vitamin B12 must first combine with glycoprotein (intrinsic factor) secreted by gastric parietal cells; Absorption occurs in the terminal ileum
What is the management of folic acid deficiency?
What is the management of vitamin B12 deficiency?
Folic acid: Dietary folic acid
B12: Monthly intramuscular vitamin B12 injections
What are some common causes of normocytic, normochromic anemias?
Hemolytic anemias, red cell aplasias, and sickle cell anemia
How are normocytic, normochromic anemias differentiated (name the lab and the significance of the lab values)?
Reticulocyte count
- Low reticuloyte count: Reflects bone marrow suppression or failure and is consistent with red cell aplsias, pancytopenia, and malignancy
- High reticulocyte count: reflects bone marrow production of RBCs as seen in hemolytic anemias and sickle cell anemia
What are the intrinsic hemolytic anemias that cause normocytic normochromic anemia?
- Hereditary spherocytosis
- Hereditary eliptocytosis
- Glycolytic enzyme defects
- Pyruvate kinase deficiency
- Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency
WHat is the most common inherited abnormality of the RBC membrane?
Hereditary spherocytosis
What protein is abnormal in hereditary spherocytosis? What is the inheritance patterns?
Abnormality of the structural RBC membrane protein spectrin
Usually autosomal dominant
What are the signs and symptoms of hereditary spherocytosis?
- Splenomegaly by 2-3 years of age
- Pigmentary gallstones
- Aplastic crises (associated with parvovirus infection)
- Jaundice and anemia
What studies can be used to diagnose hereditary spherocytosis?
Blood smear and osmotic fragility studies (spherocytes are more fragile)
What “cures” hereditary spherocytosis?
Why is this procedure delayed until after 5 years of age?
Splenectomy
Delayed to decreased the incidence of invasive disease caused by encapsulated bacteria
Hereditary elliptocytosis is autosomal _______ defect in the structure of _______
dominant; spectrin
What are the symptoms of patients with hereditary elliptocytosis?
Majority of patients are asymptomatic
Pyruvate kinase deficiency is an autosomal _______ disorder
recessive
What becomes depleted in PK deficiency? What is there decreased production of?
ATP depletion
Decreased production of PK isoenzyme
What is seen on blood smear of patients with Pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency?
Polychromatic RBCs
What is the management for pyruvate kinase deficiency?
Transfusions and splenectomy for severe disease
What is the msot common RBC enzymatic defect?
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency
What is the pathosphysiology of G6PD deficiency and what triggers its symptoms?
G6PD enzyme is critical for protecting the RBC from oxidative stress; deficiency results in RBC damage when RBC exposed to oxidants
Triggers: Infection, Fava beans, sulfa drugs
_______ is not beneficial in G6PD deficiency
splenectomy
What are some extrinsic causes of hemolytic anemia?
- Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
- Alloimmune hemolytic anemia
- Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia
What is autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA)?
Occurs when antibodies are misdirected against the RBCs
What are the two types of AIHA?
- Primary: Generally idiopathic in which no underlying disease is identified; viral infections and drugs may be causal
- Secondary: associated with udnerlying disease process, such as lymphoma, SLE, or immunodeficiency disease
What are the clinical features of fulminant acute type AIHA? In what population does this occur?
Preceded by respiratory infection; features include acute onset of pallor, jaundice, hemoglobinuria, and splenomegaly
Occurs in infants and young children; complete recovery is expected
What are the laboratory findings in AIHA?
Severe anemia, spherocytes on blood smear, prominent reticulocytosis, and leukocytosis; Direct coombs test is positive
What is the management of AIHA?
- Transfusions may provide transient benefit
- Corticosteroids are used for severe anemia
Alloimmune hemolytic commonly involves newborn __ and ___ hemolytic diseases
Rh and ABO
When does Rh disease occur?
Rh hemolytic disese occurs when the mother (who has no Rh antigen) produces antibodies to the Rh antigen on her fetus’s RBCs; In subsequent pregnancies antibodies pass from the mother to the fetus causing hemolysis and hydrops fetalis
In Rh hemolytic disease, what test is strongly positive?
Direct Coombs
In ABO hemolytic disease, what are the results and strength of a direct coombs test?
Weakly positive