Normocytic Anaemia

Question 1

What are the causes of Normocytic Anaemia?

Answer 1

• Acute blood loss
• Anaemia of chronic disease
• Aplastic Anaemia
• Haemolytic Anaemia
• Hypothyroidism

Question 2

What do the blood results show in Aplastic Anaemia ?

Answer 2

• Anaemia, Leukocytopenia, thrombocytopenia

Question 3

What are the symptoms of low RBC?

Answer 3

• Tissues cannot oxygenate
• Heart pumps harder and the patient has chest pain and SOB

Question 4

What are the symptoms of low platelet count?

Answer 4

• High risk of bleeding
• minor injuries causes more bleeding
• mucosal areas most affected

Question 5

What are the symptoms of low WBC?

Answer 5

• inability to fight off infections
• leads to Sepsis

Question 6

What are the causes of Aplastic Anaemia?

Answer 6

• idiopathic
• congenital: Fanconi Anaemia
• Drugs: cytotoxics and sulphonamides
• Toxins: Benzene
• Infections: Parvovirus

Question 7

What is Fanconi’s Anaemia?

Answer 7

• most common inherited cause of aplastic anaemia
• classic pancytopenia, predisposition to malignancy, physical abnormalities ( short stature, microcephaly, developmental delay, café au lait skin lesions, absent/ hypoplastic thumbs)

Question 8

How do you make a diagnosis of Aplastic Anaemia?

Answer 8

• low RBC, WBC and platelets, low reticulocyte
• high EPO (erythropoietin)
• Definitive Diagnosis = Bone Marrow Biopsy ( low hematopoietic stem cells, normal cellular morphology and abscence of infiltrative disorders

Question 9

For bone marrow biopsy what is typically seen?

Answer 9

• Empty Marrow/ Dry tap

Question 10

What is the treatment for aplastic anaemia?

Answer 10

• < 50 = Stem cell transplant
• > 50 = immunosuppressive therapy with ( cyclosporin, glucocorticoids and G-CSF)
• Blood transfusions ( for severe cases)
• remove the medication or toxin ( substances or exposures should be removed immediately)