Hematopoiesis (Part II) Flashcards
What are the components of plasma?
it is the liquid portion of blood; water, proteins, electrolytes, and hormones
what is the buffy coat?
the WBCs and the platelets
What is serum?
the liquid portion of the clotted blood; there is no fibrinogen and it lacks clotting factors
What is pancytopenia?
a decrease of all cell lines (RBCs, platelets, WBCs)
what is absolute number?
the actual number of cells in a sample, not just a percentage
What does MCV stand for?
mean corpuscular volume
what is the MCV? and what is it important for?
the average volume of a red blood cell; important when you are trying to determine what type of anemia a patient has
What is the MCV value for microcytic anemia?
MCV less than 80
what is the MCV value for normocytic anemia?
80-100
what is the MCV value for macrocytic anemia?
greater than 100
What does MCHC stand for?
mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration
What does the MCHC calculate?
the concentration of hemoglobin in a given volume
what is the hemoglobin concentration in a normal RBC?
about 1/3 the cell
what if we have increased central pallor?
hypochromia
what if we have decreased central pallor?
hyperchromia (we have a higher concentration of HGB)
what does the RPI stand for?
reticulocyte production index
what does the RPI calculate?
the reticulocyte count based on the current RBC volume
what if you have an increased RPI?
there is increased RBC destruction happening
what if you have a decreased RPI?
there is an issue with the production of RBCs
what is anisocytosis?
variation in size; increased RDW (red cell distribution width)
what is poikilocytosis?
variation in shape
what is the likely diagnosis of a patient with anemia- microcytic hypochromic?
iron deficiency anemia
What are some signs of symptoms of iron deficiency anemia? (7)
fatigue, weakness, headaches, dizziness, pale, irregular heartbeats, SOB
3 causes of iron deficiency anemia?
1) dietary lack of iron or decreased absorption 2) impaired absorption 3) chronic blood or iron loss
what could cause impaired absorption of iron?
sprue, partial gastrectomy (acid increases solubility and uptake)
What could cause chronic blood loss or iron loss?
tumor, ulcer, menometrorrhagia, extreme distance running
When should iron deficiency anemia be suspected?
if there is hypochromic microcytic anemia with an elevated RDW but no consistent shape changes in RBC
anytime someone is thought to have anemia, what should be done first?
CBC and reticulocyte count
if a person is diagnosed with anemia, what should be done next?
look at MCV
after looking at laboratory values, what should be done next when diagnosing a patient with anemia?
examination of the peripheral smear to confirm diagnosis
what are three causes of microcytic anemia?
iron deficiency, thalassemia, anemia of chronic disease
what could cause normocytic anemia with a low reticulocyte count?
renal failure, anemia of chronic disease, marrow failure, aplastic anemia, leukemia/metastasis
what could cause normocytic anemia with a high reticulocyte count?
sickle cell anemia, G6PD deficiency, hereditary spherocytosis, autoimmune hemolytic anemia
what could cause macrocytic anemia?
megaloblastic anemia due to B12 or folate deficiency; alcoholic liver disease
What is marked erythroid hyperplasia?
anemia caused by increased red cell loss or reduced red cell life span–> generates elevated reticulocyte counts in the peripheral blood and erythroid hyperplasia in the bone marrow
what is the normal myeloid: erythroid ratio? (M:E ratio)
2:1 to 4:1
what is the M:E ratio seen in cases of erythroid hyperplasia?
it decreases as the erythroid precursors begin to predominate over the myeloid precursors
what are 5 examples of diseases that cause marked erythroid hyperplasia?
sickle cell anemia, G6PD deficiency, Beta Thalassemia, hereditary spherocytosis, autoimmune hemolytic anemia
What cause of microcytic anemia has an increased reticulocyte count?
Thalassemia
in cases of severe and chronic anemia where red blood cell destruction is taking place and erythropoietin is elevated, not only are reticulocytes being released into the peripheral blood but sometimes what else?
even more early precursors can be seen such as nucleated red blood cells
besides severe anemia and chronic hypoxemia, what else could cause the release of nucleated RBCs?
hyposplenia and asplenia
besides trauma, what could cause asplenia?
sickle cell anemia–> leads to autosplenectomy
