Intro to Haematology

Question 1

What is a normal life span of a red blood cell?

Answer 1

120 days

Question 2

What is the name for too many red cells?

Answer 2

Polycythaemia

Question 3

What is the name for too many white cells?

Answer 3

Leukaemia

Question 4

What is a lymphoma?

Answer 4

Accumulation of malignant cells in the lymph nodes

Question 5

What are the normal red cell reference ranges for males and females?

Answer 5

Males - 130-180g/L

Females - 115-160g/L

Question 6

What are the main causes of iron deficiency anaemia?

Answer 6

Commonest cause of anaemia
Chronic blood lost (menstruation, GI blood loss)
Poor diet
Malabsorption (minor cause)

Question 7

What is the treatment for iron deficiency anaemia?

Answer 7

Treat underlying cause

Give iron tablets

Question 8

What are the main causes of haemolytic anaemias?

Answer 8

Inherited - membrane, enzyme or haemoglobin

Aquired - immune or non-immune

Question 9

What is aplastic anaemia and what are the causes?

Answer 9

This is loss of haemopoesis from the bone marrow
Causes:
-Idiopathic
-Post viral
-Drugs
-radiation

Question 10

What is the treatment for aplastic anaemia?

Answer 10

Immunosupression

Bone marrow transplant

Question 11

What are the main causes of macrocytic anaemia?

Answer 11

B12 and folate deficiencies

Question 12

What are the main causes of microcytic anaemias?

Answer 12

Iron deficiency

Thalassemia

Question 13

What are the main causes of normocytic anaemia?

Answer 13

Anaemia of chronic disease
Aplastic anaemia
Bone marrow failure

Question 14

What is the main role of an eosinophil?

Answer 14

Protection against parasites

Question 15

What is the pathogenesis in acute leukaemia?

Answer 15

Due to rapidly dividing primitive cells
This packs the bone marrow and leads to anaemia
Is fatal within weeks or months if untreated
Often treated with chemotherapy

Question 16

What is the pathogenesis in chronic leukaemia?

Answer 16

It less rapidly growing
Well differentiated cells e.g. neutrophils
Less easy to cure by chemotherapy

Question 17

What are the four major subsets of leukaemia?

Answer 17

AML, CML, ALL, CLL

Question 18

What are lymphomas and what are the types?

Answer 18

Tumours of the cells that accumulate in the lymph nodes

Divided in hodgkins (owl eye nucleus) lymphoma and non-hodgkins lymphoma

Question 19

What are the inherited and aquired factors that increase risk of coagulation?

Answer 19

Inherited:
-Factor V
-Protein C, Protein s and antithrombin abnormalities
Aquired:
-Vessel damage
-Stasis
-Change in blood constitution

Question 20

What are the two ways to examine bone marrow?

Answer 20

Aspirate is removal of the liquid marrow and shows cells

Trephine is solid histological section that allows the architecture to be looked at