hemolytic anemias Flashcards
what can be the cause of hemolytic anemia
intravascular rupture of red cells or increased uptake of red cells by phagocytes in spleen and liver (reticuloendothelial system)
what does visible hemolysis mean
looking at a tube of serum or urine in a tube next to light and seeing free hemoglobin
what normally happens to free hemoglobin in healthy patient
filtered out by kidney
when is free hemoglobin evident in urine
severe hemolysis and/or renal disease
how can red cells get into urine
tissue damage between urethra and kidney
what is needed to tell difference between red cells and hemoglobin in blood, which can have similar appearance
microscopy
what is LDH
lactate dehydrogenase
why can you see a ton of LDH in serum with hemolysis
there is a ton of LDH in red blood cells
is LDH specific for red blood cell lysis
no bc it is in other cells too such as lymphoblasts in context of acute leukemia
what is unconjugated bilirubin
end product of heme catabolism
when will you see elevated bilirubin levels
if free hemoglobin is dumped into serum faster than it can be metabolized by liver
how can you see if you have elevated bilirubin
serum turns yellow
what other diseases can cause elevated bilirubin
gilberts syndrome (benign liver anomaly) and liver disease
what is haptoglobin
protein that binds free hemoglobin and removes it from blood
if a lot of free hemoglobin is being cleared what happens to haptoglobin levels
reduced
