Into to Haematology Flashcards
What is polycythaemia?
Too many red blood cells
What is leukaemia?
Malignant changes with too many WBCs in the blood
What is lymphoma?
Malignant changes with accumulation of malignant cells in the lymph nodes
What is lymphopenia?
Too few lymphocytes (more subtle immunodeficiency)
What conditions can cause poor clotting?
Inherited disorders –> Haemophilia
Acquired disorders –> Aspirin
What conditions cause increased clotting?
Inherited disorders –> Thombophilia
Acquired disorders –> Stasis, endothelial damage
What are some causes of microcytic anaemia?
1) Iron deficiency
2) Thalassaemia
What are some causes of normocytic anaemia?
1) Bone marrow failure/ aplastic anaemia
2) Blood loss
3) Anaemia of chronic disease
4) Renal disease
5) Many haemolytic anaemias
What are some causes of macrocytic anaemia?
1) Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency
Megaloblastic anaemia
What are the causes of iron deficiency anaemia?
Chronic blood loss –> Menstruation, GI blood loss
Poor diet –> Mainly in children
Malabsorption –> A minor cause
What is pancytopenia?
Deficiency of all 3 cellular components of the blood: RBCs, WBCs, and platelets
What cells are involved in lymphoid leukaemia? And myeloid leukaemia?
1) Tumour of B or T cells
2) Affects cells of all other lineages (EG: neutrophils, RBCs, monocyte, or platelets)
What are reed sternberg cells?
They define Hodgkin lymphoma.
Large with abundant pale cytoplasm and two oral lobulated nuclei containing prominent “owl-eye” eosinophilic nucleoli.
What is myeloma?
Malignancy of plasma cells that produce a monoclonal immunoglobulin called paraprotein.
Relatively incurable disorder.
Presents with: Renal failure, bone pain, and anaemia.
What is a myeloproliferative disorder?
Clonal proliferation of stem cells which lead to a hypercellular bone marrow.
This bone marrow has increased:
1) RBCs –> Polycythameia
2) WBCs –> Essential thrombocythaemia
3) Platelets –> Chronic myeloid leukaemia
4) Reactive fibrosis –> Myelofibrosis
Vascular and platelet abnormalities tend to lead to bleeding in the….
while coagulation disorders tend to lead to bleeding into….
1) mucosa or skin; oral or GI tract
2) joints and muscles
What is Virchows triad?
1) Vessel damage
2) Stasis
3) Change in blood composition
1) What is bone marrow aspirate?
2) What is bone marrow trephine?
1) Liquid sample
2) Solid core sample (can look at marrow cellularity)
What is polychromasia?
A disorder where there is an abnormally high number of immature red blood cells found in the bloodstream as a result of being prematurely released from the bone marrow during blood formation.
