Normocytic Anemia with Extravascular Hemolysis Flashcards
What lab value helps you determine if a normocytic anemia is from over destruction or underproduction?
RETC
WHat is a normal RETC
1-2%
A properly functioning bone marrow responds to anemia by increasing the RETC to (blank)
> 3%
T/F: RETC is falsely elevated in anemia
true
How is RETC falsely elevated in anemia?
percentage of total RBCs, so if the total count of RBCs decreases, then the RETC looks higher than it should be
How do you calculate the corrected RETC?
(Hct/45) x RETC
A corrected RETC >3% tells you what?
good marrow response and suggests PERIPHERAL DESTRUCTION
A corrected RETC <3% tells you what?
bad marrow response and suggests UNDERPRODUCTION
T/F: intravascular and extravascular hemolysis both present as an anemia with a good marrow response
true
What are the following components of RBCs broken down into?
- globin
- heme
- protoporphyrin
- amino acids
- iron and protoporphyrin; iron is recycled
- unconjugated bilirubin, bound ot serum albumin and delivered to the liver for conjugation and excretion into the bile
Peripheral RBC destruction will result in (splenomegaly/HSM)
splenomegaly only, but jaundice!
What painful dietary complication are pts at risk of developing with increased levels of bilirubin?
bilirubin gallstones
T/F: peripheral blood cell destruction results in marrow hyperplasia
true
Is this intravascular or extravascular?
Hemoglobinemia
Hemoglobinuria
Hemosiderinuria
INTRAvascular
Why do pts with intravascular hemolysis present with hemosiderinuria? When does this develop?
renal tubular cells pick up some of the hemoglobin that is filtered into the urine and break it down into iron, which accumulates as hemosiderin; tubular cells are eventually shed resulting in hemosiderinura.
Is serum haptoglobin increased or decreased in intravascular hemolysis?
decreased; hapto is a scavenger molecule that will try to take up the free Hgb in the blood
What range of increased LDH would we see for extravascular hemolysis?
500-700
What is the first organ to sense hypoxia and what hormone becomes elevated in extra. hemolysis?
kidney; increased EPO
In a chronic extravascular hemolysis, what characteristics of the anemia are added that complicate the DDx?
increased folate requirements and iron deficiency which could make you think it was a folate def or simple iron def. anemia
What are the five things you think of when you see a macrocytic anemia?
Folate def. Vit. B12 def. Alcoholism MDS Liver disease
What are the two things that increase the RETC count>?
bleeding or hemolysis
If spherocytes are present on the peripheral smear, what are the only two things on your DDx?
- autoimmune hemolytic anemia
2. Hereditary spherocytosis
What other clues can we get from a CBC that lets us know that the cause of the anemia is from an underproduction in the bone marrow
you will likely see that other cell lines are low too
What is the molecular cause of Hereditary spherocytosis? (HS)
RBC cytoskeleton-membrane tethering proteins
What three proteins are most commonly affected in HS>?
ankyrin, spectrin, or band 3, protein 4.2
WHat causes RBCs to become spherocytes in HS?
formation and loss of membrane blebs
How does HS cause anemia?
spherocytes cannot pass through splenic sinusoids and are consumed by the splenic macrophages
Spheroctyes have a (loss/increase) in central pallor
loss
What changes would happen to these labs in HS?
RDW
MCHC
increased RDW
increased MCHC
What complication of increased bilirubin presents in HS?
bilirubin gallstones
T/F: pts with HS are normally jaundiced but have normal liver function
true
Pts with HS are at an increased risk of (blank) post parvovirus B19 infection
aplastic crisis
How do you Dx HS?
osmotic fragility test; increased fragility
What is the Tx for HS?
splenectomy
What two cellular abnormalities persist on the peripheral smear after splenectomy in HS?
spheroctyes and howell-jolly bodies
Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is caused by a single amino acid mutation in the beta chain from (blank to blank)
glu to val
SCA is protective against which strain of malaria?
malaria falciparum
When does SCA become sickle cell disease?
mutation in both beta genes
what percent of Hgb is Hbs in sickle cell disease?
> 90%