Hematology Flashcards
What symptom would you expect if the CBC shows a hematocrit of >30-35%?
None
What symptom would you expect if the CBC shows a hematocrit of 25-30%?
Dyspnea (worse on exertion), fatigue
What symptom would you expect if the CBC shows a hematocrit of 20-25%?
Lightheadedness, angina
What symptom would you expect if the CBC shows a hematocrit of <20-25%?
Syncope, chest pain
This is a component of CBC that determines the etiology of anemia.
Mean Corpuscular Volume
Give 4 causes of low MCV?
Iron deficiency
Thalassemia
Sideroblastic anemia
Anemia of chronic disease
At what level of hematocrit do you transfuse blood to a patient?
It depends!
- Is the patient SYMPTOMATIC (SOB, lightheaded, confused, syncope, hypotension, tachycardia, chest pain)? Transfuse
- IS the hematocrit VERY LOW (25-30) in an ELDERLY or one with HEART DISEASE? Transfuse
A 71-year-old man comes to the office with fatigue that has become progressively worse over the last several months. He is also short of breath when he walks up one flight of stairs. He drinks 4 vodka martinis a day. He has numbness and tingling in his feet. On physical examination he has decreased sensation of his feet. His hematocrit is 28% and his MCV is 114 fL(elevated).
What is the most appropriate next step in management?
a. Vitamin B12 level
b. Folate level
c. Peripheral blood smear
d. Schilling test
e. Methylmalonic acid level
C. Although a macrocytic anemia could be from B12 or folate deficiency, direct alcohol effect of the bone marrow, or liver disease, the first step is a peripheral smear
This type of anemia can be either microcytic or macrocytic
Sideroblastic anemia
Blood loss and hemolysis will raise/lower the reticulocyte count
raise
Methotrexate causes:
a. macrocytic anemia
b. microcytic anemia
c. normocytic anemia
d. monocytic anemia
A
Rheumatoid Arthritis causes:
a. macrocytic anemia
b. microcytic anemia
c. normocytic anemia
d. monocytic anemia
D
This blood product is a unit of whole blood with about 150 mL of plasma removed. Each unit raise the hematocrit by about 3 points per unit or 1 g/dL of Hg.
Packed red blood cells
This blood product replaces clotting factors in those with an elevated prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), or INR and bleeding. It is used as replacement with plasmapheresis. This is not a choice for hemophilia A or B or vWF disease.
Fresh Frozen Plasma
This blood product is used to replace fibrinogen and has some utility in DIC. It provides high amounts of clotting factors in a smaller plasma volume. High levels of Factor VIII and VWF are found in it.
Cryoprecipitate
This blood product as all Vitamin K factors used to reverse warfarin toxicity
Prothrombin Complex Concentrate (PCC)
This is a type of anemia that can be caused by alcohol, lead poisoning, isoniazin, and vit B6 deficiency. It results from the inability of iron to be incorporated with heme.
Sideroblastic anemia
This type of anemia is an extremely common cause of microcytosis. Most patient with this trait alone are asymptomatic.
Thalassemia
This type of anemia is commonly found in those with cancer or chronic infection as well as rheumatoid arthritis.
Anemia of Chronic Disease
This type of anemia is associated with blood loss and menstruation
Iron Deficiency Anemia
Target cells are most common in?
Thalassemia
What is the most likely diagnosis if Iron studies reveals low ferritin?
Iron Deficiency Anemia
What is the most likely diagnosis if Iron studies reveals high iron?
Sideroblastic anemia
What is the most likely diagnosis if Iron studies are normal?
Thalassemia
What is the most accurate test for IDA?
Bone marrow biopsy
What is the most accurate test for Sideroblastic anemia?
Prussian blue staining for ringed sideroblasts
What is the most accurate test for Thalassemia?
Hemoglobin electrophoresis
What is the most accurate test for Alpha Thalassemia?
Genetic studies/DNA analysis
How would you treat IDA?
Replace iron with oral ferrous sulfate. If this is insufficienct, give intramuscular iron
How would you treat anemia of chronic disease?
Correct underlying disease
How would you treat sideroblastic anemia?
Correct the cause. Some patients respond to vitamin B6 or Pyridoxine replacement.
How would you treat Thalassemia?
Trait is not treated.
Beta Thalassemia (Cooley anemia) is managed with chronic transfusion lifelong.
Iron overload is managed with deferasirox or deferiprone (oral iron chelators), Deferoxamine (Parenteral iron chelator)
This type of anemia has the presence of hypersegmented neutrophils.
Megaloblastic anemia
These 3 factors are the only one that causes hypersegmentation of neutrophils.
B12 deficiency
Folate deficiency
Antimetabolite medications
What nutrient deficiencies will you expect from Celiac disease?
B12 deficiency
Folate deficiency
Iron deficiency
What is the most common symptom of B12 deficiency?
Peripheral neuropathy
B12 deficiency is associated with an increased/decreased methylmalonic acid level
increased
A 73-year-old woman comes with decreased position and vibratory sensation of the lower extremities, a hematocrit of 28%, MCV of 114 fL, and hypersegmented neutrophils. Her B12 level is decreased, but near the borderline of normal.
What is the most appropriate next step in the management of this patient?
a. Methylmalonic acid level
b. Anti-intrinsic factor antibodies
c. Anti-parietal cell antibodies
d. Schillings test
e. Folate level
d. Homocysteine level
A. While both B12 and folate deficiency increase homocysteine levels, only B12 is associated with increased MMA.
How would you confirm Pernicious Anemia?
Anti-intrinsic factor and anti-parietal cell antibodies
B12 and Folate deficiency can cause?
Pancytopenia and Macrocytic anemia
Metformin is associated with what deficiency?
B12 deficiency
How would you treat Macrocytic Anemia?
Replace what is deficient. Folate replacement corrects the hematologic problems of B12 deficiency, but not the neurological problems.
Which of the following is a complication of B12 or folate replacement?
a. Seizures
b. Hemolysis
c. Hypokalemia
d. Hyperkalemia
e. Diarrhea
C. Extremely rapid cell production in the bone marrow causes hypokalemia.
This enzymes are needed to remove B12 from R-protein so it can bind with intrinsic factor.
Pancreatic enzymes
This is caused by a point mutation at position 6 of the beta globin chain: valine replaces glutamic acid
Sickle Cell Disease
What will you expect in the reticulocyte count of a patient with Sickle Cell Disease?
Always High
Acute vasoocclusive crisis of Sickle Cell Disease is caused by:
Hypoxia
Dehydration
Infection/fever
Cold temperatures
Patient is African American with sudden, severe pain in the chest, back, and thighs that may be accompanied by fever. It is rare for an adult to present with an acute crisis without a clear history of the disease. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Sickle Cell Disease
What is the best initial test for Sickle Cell Disease?
Peripheral Smear
What is the most accurate test for Sickle Cell Disease?
Hemoglobin Electrophoresis
These managements lower mortality in sickle cell disease
Hydroxyurea in prevention
Antiobiotics with fever
Which of the following can be found on smear in sickle cell disease?
a. basophilic stippling
b. howell-jolly bodies
c. bite cells
d. schistocytes
e. morulae
B.
basophilic stippling - sideroblastic anemia, lead poisoning
bite cells - G6PD
schistocytes - fragmented red cells seen in intravascular hemolysis
morulae - seen inside neutrophils in Ehrlichia infections
What antibiotics can you give if patient with sickle cell disease has fever or a white cell count higher than usual?
Ceftriaxone
Levofloxacin
Moxifloxacin
When do you consider exchange transfusion in a patient with sickle cell disease?
If there is severe vasoocclusive crisis presenting with:
Acute chest syndrome
Priaprism
Stroke
Visual disturbance from retinal infarction
A 43-year-old man with sickle cell disease is admitted with an acute pain crisis. His only routine medication is folic acid. His hematocrit on admission is 34%. On the third hospital day, the hematocrit drops to 22%.
What is the best initial test?
a. Reticulocyte count
b. Peripheral smear
c. Folate level
d. Parvovirus B-19 IgM level
e. Bone marrow
A. Patients with sickle cell disease usually have very high reticulocyte counts because of the chronic compensated hemolysis. The first clue to parvovirus is a sudden drop in reticulocyte level.
This is the only manifestation of sickle cell trait.
Isosthenuria - defect in the ability to concentrate the urine
No treatment
This is a defect in the cytoskeleton of the red cell leading to an abnormal round shape and loss of the normal flexibility characteristics of the biconcave disc that allows red cells to bend in the spleen.
Hereditary Spherocytosis
Patient presents with recurrent episodes of hemolysis, intermittent jaundice, splenomegaly, family history of anemia or hemolysis, bilirubin gallstones. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Hereditary Spherocytosis
What is the most accurate test for Hereditary Spherocytosis?
eosin-5-maleimide flow cytometry
What will you expect in the diagnostic tests of Hereditary Spherocytosis?
- Low MCV
- Increased mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC)
- Negative Coombs test
What are your treatment options for Hereditary Spherocytosis?
- Chronic folic acid replacement supports red cell production
- Splenectomy stops the hemolysis but does not eliminate the spherocytes
What is the most accurate diagnostic test for Autoimmune (Warm or IgG) Hemolysis?
Coombs test
Clear cause/s of Autoimmune (Warm or IgG) Hemolysis are:
a. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
b. Lymphoma
d. SLE
d. Drugs: penicillin, alpha-methyldopa, rifampicin, phenytoin
e. All of the above
E
What is the best initial therapy for Autoimmune Hemolysis?
Glucorticoids (Prednisone)
How would you treat sever acute autoimmune hemolysis not responding to Prednisone?
IVIg
How would you treat recurrent episodes of Autoimmune Hemolysis?
Splenectomy
If splenectomy was not able to control the hemolysis in autoimmune hemolysis, what are your treatment options?
Rituximab
Azathioprine
Cyclophosphamide, or
Cyclosporine
These are antibodies against the red cell developing in association with Epstein-Barr virus, Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, or Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
Cold aggltinins/ IgM antibodies
What is the most accurate test for Cold Agglutinin Disease?
Cold Agglutinin Titer
How would you treat a patient with Cold Agglutinin Disease?
- Keep the patient warm
- Administer rituximab and sometimes plasmapheresis
- Cyclophosphamide, cyclosporine, or other immunosuppressive agents stop the production of the antibody
This is an X-linked recessive disorder leading to an inability to generate glutathione reductase and protect the red cells from oxidant stress.
Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency
This is the most common oxidant stress in G6PD.
Infection
What are other causes of oxidant stress in G6Pd aside from infection?
Dapsone Quinidine Sulfa drugs Primaquine Nitrofurantoin Fava beans