Quiz 5: blood pathology (25)

Question 1

erythrocyte disorders

Answer 1

• polycythemia–overproduction of erythrocytes, resulting in high RBC count (hematocrit 80%) or as many as 11,000,000 RBC/mm3. In most cases, it is caused by hypoxemia (low blood oxygen) from smoking, air pollution, or living at very high altitude (above 12,000 ft.)
• polycythemia vera–usually caused by a proliferation of the erythrocyte-producing cells in the bone marrow (cancer). It can be treated by radiation and bone marrow transfusion

Question 2

Anemia

Answer 2

-iron deficiency anemia–either from low iron intake or lack of B12 in diet (vegetarians), constitutional low intrinsic factor in the stomach (needed for B12 absorption) or stomach ulcers leading to insufficient HCl in the stomach (needed to activate intrinsic factor).

Question 3

etiology of Sickle Cell anemia

Answer 3

-hereditary mutation of Hb that results in Hb molecules sticking to each other and forming long rods in the cell, sickling it. It is an autosomal recessive gene (equal in males and females) and both parents must be carriers.

Question 4

leukocyte disorders

Answer 4

-leukopenia–lack of sufficient leukocytes. This is usually caused by heavy metal poisoning or radiation exposure. Certain viral and bacterial infections, or a chronic infection can also cause this.

• leukemia–this is a cancer of the leukocyte-producing tissue in the bone marrow. There are two types:
  1) myelocytic leukemia–affecting the myeloid series
  2) lymphocytic leukemia–affecting the lymphocytes and monocytes—aka lymphosarcoma, aka lymphoma

Question 5

blood clotting disorders

Answer 5

• hemophilia–a sex linked genetic mutation resulting in the inability to produce a functional factor 8. This is one oft he many genetic disorders that result in either under-production or no production of a clotting factor.
• lack of a clotting factor interrupts the cascade and results in either a prolonged clotting time or no clotting.
• children with hemophilia used to bleed out from such simple conditions as a nose-bleed. Synthetic factor 8 is now available for injection.

Question 6

thrombosis

Answer 6

• clots may form normally (hematoma, thrombus) or abnormally (thrombosis or embolus (a floating clot)).
• coronary thrombosis–a partial (ischemic) or complete (infarct) blockage of a branch of the coronary artery supplying the heart (heart attack or angina)
• pulmonary embolism–because of the way that the circulation is set up, a clot that breaks away from its site and begins to travel through the bloodstream usually winds up in the arteries supplying the lungs. This shuts off air exchange within that portion of the lung.