Data interpretation Flashcards
What are examples of microcytic anaemia?
- Iron deficiency
- Chronic disease
- Thalassaemia
- Sideroblastic anaemia
What are examples of macrocytic anaemia?
- Vitamin B12 deficiency
- Folate deficiency
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Multiple myeloma
- Myeloproliferative disorders
What are examples of normocytic anaemia?
- Chronic disease
- Blood loss
- Haemolytic anaemia
- Marrow infiltration
Where is iron absorbed from?
-Duodenum and jejunum
Where is vit b12 absorbed from?
-Terminal ileum
Where is folate absorbed from?
-Small bowel
What are the components of an iron profile?
- Serum iron
- Serum total iron binding capacity
- Serum ferritin
- Transferrin saturation
- Serum soluble transferring receptors
In an iron deficient state, what would an iron study show?
- Serum iron: reduced
- Serum total iron binding capacity: increased
- Serum ferritin: reduced
- Transferrin saturation: reduced
- Serum soluble transferring receptors: Increased
What serum ferritin level suggests iron deficiency?
-<15micrograms/L
What needs to be considered in someone with anaemia when looking at the ferritin level?
-Ferritin is an acute phase reactant, so the level maybe high even in an iron deficient state. It’s levels increase in the presence of inflammation
What would iron studies show for someone who had anaemia of chronic disease?
- Serum iron: normal/slightly reduced
- Serum total binding capacity: reduced
- Serum ferritin: may be raised (as acute phase reactant)
- Transferring saturation: reduced
What is the most common disease that causes vitamin B12 deficiency?
-Pernicious anaemia
>defective instrinsic factor production due to autoantibodies against gastric parietal cells
What cells will be increased on blood film in hameolytic anaemia?
-Reticulocytes
What is Direct antiglobulin test?
-A test to detect an autoimmune haemolytic anaemia.
>antibodies to human immunoglobulin are added to red cells, if they agglutinate = presence of haemolytic anaemia
How can haemolytic anaemias be classified?
- Inherited
- Acquired
What are examples of inherited haemolytic anaemias?
- Spherocytes
- Elliptocytes
- Thalassaemia
- Sickle cell anaemia
- Pyruvate kinase deficiency
- Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency
What are some examples of acquired immune causes of haemolytic anaemias?
- Autoimmune warm
- Autoimmune cold
- Transfusion reaction
- Haemolytic disease of the newborn
- Adverse drug event
What are some examples of non-immune causes of haemolytic anaemias?
- Malaria
- Microangiopathic anaemia
- Hypersplenism
- Mechanical heart valve
- Burns
How do you detect true polycythaemia?
-Use the red cell mass
>raised. Males >0.51, Females >0.48
What is apparent polycythaemia?
-A reduction in plasma volume rather than an increase in red cell mass
What are causes of apparent polycythaemia?
- Dehydration
- Gaissbock syndrome
What are causes of true primary polycythaemia?
polycythaemia rubra vera
What are causes of true secondary polycycthaemia?
- Hypoxia causes: lung disease, cyanotic cardiac disease, chronic smoking, high altitude
- Excessive erythropoietin: renal cell carcinoma, polycycstic kidney disease, adrenal tumour, hepatocellular carcinoma
What causes a neutrophillia?
- Bacterial infections
- Inflammation
- Necrosis (ie post MI)
- Corticosteroid use
- Malignancy
- Myeloproliferative disorders
- Metabolic disorders is renal failure