white blood cells Flashcards
leucocytosis: explain how to analyse the cause of a leucocytosis (differential count / blood film), list the common causes of a neutrophilia, eosinophilia and lymphocytosis, explain how a reactive polyclonal response may be differentiated from a lymphoproliferative disorder
define pancytopenia
all lineages reduced
define haemopoiesis
production of blood cells in bone marrow
when does normal haemopoiesis occur
usually polyclonal healthy or reactive, in normal and reactive marrow
when does malignant haemopoiesis occur
abnormal clonal cells (divided from same mother cell), includes leukaemia (lymphoid, myeloid), myelodysplasia, myeloproliferative
6 groups of cells produced from haemopoetic stem cell in normal haemopoiesis in bone marrow, including precursors
T-cell (from pre T), B-cell (from pre B), red cells (from BFU-E), megakaryocytes/platelets (from meg-CFC), granulocytes and monocytes (from GM-CFC)
neutrophil differentiation and maturation in normal haemopoiesis
in bone marrow: myeloblast -> promyelocyte -> myelocyte -> metamyelocyte; in peripheral blood: -> neutrophil
what hormones or cytokines are used to influence differentiation and proliferation in erythroid, lymphoid and myeloid cells
erythroid: erythropoietin; lymphoid: IL2; myeloid: G-CSF, M-CSF (if excess e.g. exogenous drugs, sepsis, stress or bone marrow cancer, cause immature precursors to be released into peripheral blood; if white cells, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia)
effect of damaged DNA directing differentiation and proliferation
cancer (leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma)
3 groups of leucocytes and location of production
lymphoblasts (bone marrow), immunocytes (peripheral blood), phagocytes (peripheral blood)
4 types of lymphoblast
myeloblasts, promyeloblasts, myelocytes, meamyelocytes, some mature neutrophils
3 types of immunocytes
T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, natural killer cells
2 classes of phagocytes
granulocytes and monocytes
3 types of granulocytes
neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils
abnormal white blood cell: reactive and malignant causes of increased cell production (leucocytosis)
reactive: infection, inflammation, increased cytokine production; malignant: cancers of haemopoietic cells, leukaemia, myeloproliferative
abnormal white blood cell: causes of decreased cell production (leucopenia)
impaired bone marrow function, B12/folate deficiency, bone marrow failure
abnormal white blood cell: 4 causes of bone marrow failure, causing decreased cell production (leucopenia)
aplastic anaemia, post chemotherapy, metastatic cancer, haematological cancer
abnormal white blood cell: cause of increased cell survival (leucocytosis)
failure of apoptosis (e.g. acquired cancer causing mutations in some lymphomas)
abnormal white blood cell: cause of decreased cell survival (leucopenia)
immune breakdown
white blood cell production, proliferation and differentiation in haemopoietic cancers (leukaemia)
produced in bone marrow but enter peripheral blood as immature (and mature) cells
2 causes of increased cytokine production in normal reactive haemopoiesis
distant tumour, haemopoietic or non-haemopoietic
how is leukaemia characterised
myeloid or lymphoid, acute or chronic
malignant haematopoiesis in chronic myeloid leukaemia: effect on differentiation
haemopoietic stem cell mutation favours GM-CFC, causing huge increases in megakaryocyte/platelets, granulocytes and monocytes as no apoptosis
4 ways to investigate a raised white cell count
history and examination (distinguish if symptomatic, increased risk if smoker, hepatosplenomegaly), Hb and platelet count (if white cell count raised in isolation then normally reactive not malignant), automated differential (e.g. exogenous GCSF treatment), examine blood film
3 questions to answer when investigating raised white cell count
abnormality white cells only, ot all 3 lineages (red, white, platelet); white cell 1 type only, or all lineages (e.g. granulocytes, monocytes, lymphocytes; if all types then reactive, except in chronic myeloid leukaemia); mature cells only or immature also