Clinical Lectures Flashcards
(40 cards)
What kinds of things should you gather from history?
- Ask about bleeding with: surgery, trauma, menstrual period, dental procedures
- Meds (anticoagulants, NSAIDs, antiplatelets, corticosteroids, antibiotics, antidepressants, alcohol, fish oil, garlic, gingko, vitamin E all can cause easy bruising)
- Nutritional deficiency (vitamin C, K, protein)
- Family history of easy bleeding, bruising, or clotting disorders
What kinds of things should you gather from physical?
- Common sites for bruising are on the distal extremities
- Bruising on face, trunk, and back should raise suspicion for bleeding disorder or physical abuse
- Bruising on toddlers foreheads are probably normal
- Does the bruising pattern and mechanism correlate
- Bruises initially purple-blue then can turn red-brown and eventually will turn green-yellow
Petechiae
- Capillary bleeding
- 2-3 mm
- Mostly not normal
- Think abnormality in platelet number or function
- DOES NOT BLANCH
Purpura
- Larger than petechiae (4-10 mm)
- can be palpable or non-palpable (macular)
- Macular typically non-inflammatory
- Palpable lesion sign of vascular inflammation
- Also non-blanching with diascopy
Ecchymosis
- Larger than purpura or petechiae
- > 1 cm
- color can help date onset but use caution dating
Categories of rashes
- Infection (serious bacterial illness, viral infection, rickettsiae)
- Hematological (thrombocytopenia - ITP, TTP, vWD)
- Mechanical (coughing or vomiting, local pressure or traction)
- Vascular (Henoch-Schonlein purpura, scurvy, drugs)
Life-threatening conditions presenting with petechiae/purpura
- Meningococcemia
- Rocky mountain spotted fever
- Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)
Hemathrosis
- Bleeding into a joint space
- Think about clotting factor deficiency
Hemophilia A
-Factor VIII deficiency
Hemophilia B
- Factor IX deficiency
- AKA Christmas disease
Platelet defects
- Mucocutaneous bleeding
- Excessive bleeding after minor cuts
- Petechiae common
- Ecchymoses generally small and superficial
- Hemarthroses and muscle hematomas uncommon
- Bleeding with procedures often immediate with degree of bleeding dependent upon severity of defect
Clotting factor deficiencies
- Deep tissue bleeding
- Not usual to have excessive bleeding after minor cuts
- Petechiae uncommon
- May develop large subcutaneous and soft tissue hematomas
- Hemarthroses and muscle hematomas common in severe deficiency states or in association with injury
- May be associated with procedural or delayed bleeding (surgery) depending on type and severity
Fatigue
- Difficulty initiating activity
- Reduced capacity with activity
- Mental fatigue
Sensation of difficult or labored breathing
Dyspnea
Feeling that extra effort is required to move limbs
Muscle weakness
Sleepiness or drowsiness
Somnolence
Fatigue >6 months differentials
- Hematologic
- Idiopathic
- Psychological (major depression, panic disorder, somatization)
Ferritin
- found in cytoplasm of cells
- directly proportional to total iron stores
- sensitive test for early Iron Deficiency
- acute phase reactant
Sequence of Fe depletion
First: iron stores depleted -Low ferritin -Normal Hb/Hct Second: normocytic mild anemia -Low ferritin, Hb, Hct Third: microcytic severe anemia -Low ferritin, Hb, Hct
Female athlete triad
- Low energy
- Menstrual dysfunction
- Low bone density
Expected labs in iron deficiency and IDA
- Low iron
- low ferritin
- high TIBC
What should be done for men and post-menopausal females when suspecting IDA?
Look in GI for cancer!!!
What could be a cause of IDA in kids?
Too much cow’s milk or cow’s milk before age 1
If what is less than 15 you should think IDA…
Serum ferritin