Iron deficiency anaemia Flashcards
What is a common cause of anaemia?
Iron deficiency
What can cause iron deficiency?
Inadequate intake
Poor absorption
Increased use
What can cause increased use of iron?
Physiological - pregnancy
Pathological - bleeding
What are the signs and symptoms of iron-deficiency anaemia?
Tiredness
Pallor
Tachycardia, palpitations
Increased respiratory rate
Epithelial changes
What causes pallor in iron-deficiency anaemia?
Blood is less oxygenated
appears less red
What causes tachycardia, palpitations in iron-deficiency anaemia?
Heart is pumping blood to lungs and body faster
to try and meet oxygen demand of tissues
What are some examples of epithelial changes seen with iron-deficiency anaemia?
Shiny tongue
Nail spooning
Angular stomatitis - inflammation at lip corners
What are the features of the blood film with iron-deficiency anaemia?
Hypochromic red blood cells
Microcytic red blood cells
Anisopoikilocytosis
What does hypochromic mean?
Pale
because low haemaglobin content
What does microcytic mean?
Low mean cell volume
basically meaning small cells
What does anisopoikilocytosis mean?
Change in size
and shape
What shapes of red blood cells are seen in iron-deficiency anaemia?
Pencil cells
Target cells
What are the features of blood parameters with iron-deficiency anaemia?
Low serum iron
Low serum ferritin
Low percentage transferrin saturation
Raised total iron binding capacity
Low reticulocyte haemaglobin content (CHR)
How is iron deficiency tested for?
Ferritin
Reticulocyte haemaglobin content (CHR)
What do low levels of ferritin mean?
Iron deficiency
What do normal levels of ferritin mean in terms of iron deficiency? Why?
Don’t exclude iron deficiency
Because ferritin is acute phase protein
increased with inflammation, liver disease
What does reticulocyte haemaglobin content (CHR) measure?
Amount of iron getting to erythrocytes
When can reticulocyte haemaglobin content (CHR) not be used to test for iron deficiency? Why?
In patient with thalassaemia
Because CHR is low with these patients
How is iron deficiency treated?
Increase iron in diet
Iron supplements
Transfusions
How can iron supplements be given?
Oral
IM
IV
When are transfusions given?
If anaemia is so severe that it compromises cardiac function
