Hemolytic Anemia Flashcards
What is Intrinsic hemolytic anemia?
Disorder with the RBC itself like disorders of the red cell membrane, metabolic hemolysis, and disorders of Hb synthesis
What are examples of Intrinsic anemias involving disorders with the red cell membrane?
hereditary spherocytosis, hereditary elliptocytosis, stromatocytosis, acanthocytosis, and PNH
What are examples of Intrinsic anemias involving disorders of metabolic hemolysis?
Hexosemonophosphate shunt (G6PD) and pyruvate kinase disorders
What are examples of Intrinsic anemias involving disorders of Hb synthesis?
Sickling hemoglobinopathies and thalassemias.
What is extrinsic hemolysis?
Disorders that affect the RBC like Microangiopathic conditions, immune hemolytic anemia, infectious conditions, and hypersplenism.
What are examples of Microangiopathic conditions?
Cardiac valve mechanical hemolysis, TTP, DIC, and burns
What are some examples of immune hemolytic anemia?
Auto-immune hemolytic anemia(idiopathic and secondary), warm antibodies, cold antibodies, allo-immune hemolytic anemias, transfusion reactions, erthroblastosis fetalis
What are some examples of infectious conditions causing hemolytic anemia?
Malaria, babesiosis, and clostridial sepsis
What is the mechanism of extravascular hemolysis?
RBC phagocytosed by macrophages in the spleen and liver (RE system)
Why are RBCs phagocytosed in extravascular hemolysis?
RBCs are coated with IgG or and or C3b, or RBCs are abnormally shaped like sperocytes or sickle cells
Would you see an increase in unconjugated bilirubin in extravascular hemolysis?
Yes
Would you see an increase in LDH in extravascular hemolysis?
Yes
What is intravascular hemolysis?
Hemolysis that occurs within blood vessels caused by things like enzyme deficiencies, complement mediated destruction of RBCs, and mechanical damage (i.e. valve stenosis)
What two findings will you see in intravascular hemolysis?
Decreases serum haptoglobin and hemoglobinuria
What are the clinical features of hemolytic anemia?
Pallor of mucus membranes, jaundice, and splenomegally. There is No bilirubin in urine. May see gallstones (from bilirubin) and ulcers around the ankle (esp. sickle cell pts)
What characterizes Aplastic crises?
Parvovirus infection which usually turns off erythropoiesis, so you see a sudden drop in anemia and a drop in the reticulocyte count
What is hereditary spherocytosis?
Autosomal dominant disorder affecting mostly northern europeans. Mutation in ankyrin (most common) or spectrin, or band 3, which are all RBC membrane proteins
What are the clinical findings of hereditary sperocytosis?
Jaundice, gallstones, splenomegally, and aplastic crisis.
What are the lab findings of hereditary sperocytosis?
Normocytic anemia with sperocytes, increased MCHC, and increased osmotic fragility
How would you treat hereditary spherocytosis?
Splenectomy
What is hereditary elliptocytosis?
Autosomal dominant, defective spectrin.
What are the clinical findings of hereditary elliptocytosis?
Most have none to mild anemia and splenomegally