DSA: RBC Disorders Flashcards
(72 cards)
essentials of diagnosis (EOD) for iron deficiency anemia?
- if serrum ferritin is < 12 ng or less than 30
- caused by bleeding unless proved otherwise*
- responds to iron therapy
Tx of iron deficiency anemia
identification of the cause
-especially if it’s occult blood loss
EOD for anemia of chronic disease
- mild or moderate normocytic or microcytic anemia
- normal or increased ferritin and normal or reduced transferrin
- underlying chronic disease
- there’s usually inflammation going on… hepcidin gets released… no iron comes in
what helps us distinguish anemia of chronic disease from iron deficiency anemia?
look at the serum ferritin
- if that is high, then we have plenty of iron
- if low, iron deficiency
is treatment OF THE ANEMIA necessary for management of anemia of chronic disease?
no
-just address the condition causing the anemia of chronic disease
EOD for thalassemias
- microcytosis disproportionate to the degre of anemia
- family hx
- lifelong personal history of microcytic anemia
- normal or elevated RBC count
- abnormal rbc morphology with microcytes, hypochromia, acanthocytes, and target cells
- in beta-thalassemia, elevated levels of hbg A2 or F
what is thalassemia?
reduction in synth of globin chains
- hemoglobin= heme + globin
- Heme= Fe + porphoryn
what is MCH?
mean corpuscular hemoglobin
-it’s low in thalassemias
what region of the world are alpha thalassemias seen in a lot?
SE asia and China
Who does Beta thalassemia affect the most
mediterranean ppl
Alpha thalassemia trait
-mild anemias
-low MCV
-normal iron and reticulocyte count
-
Hemoglobin H disease
- more marked anemia
- low MCV
- microcytosis
- reticulocytes elevated
- electrophoresis will show a fast migrating HbH
Beta thalassemia minor
- in contrast to alpha thalassemia, there is basophilic stippling
- elevation in HbA2
Beta thalassemia intermedia
- elevated reticulocyte count
- basophilic stippling
- there can be lots of HbF
- similar to minor
Beta thalassemia major
- sever anemia
- poikilocytosis and whatnot, basophilic stippling
- nucleated RBC’s
- very little HbA
- predominant is HbF
What should we give people that have to get a lot of transfusions?
iron chelators
-or else everyone else’s iron will get into them
What is the tx of choice for B thalassemia major and the only available cure?
stem cell transplantation
EOD for Vit B12 deficiency
- macrocytic anemia
- megaloblastic blood smear: macro-ovalocytes and hypersegmented neutrophils
- low serum vitamin B12 level
What makes Vit B12 deficiency a little unique from folate deficieny?
there are neuro symptoms
-because methylmalonic acid builds up
if we find not a lot of B12 in the blood, what confirmatory test can we do to make sure that it’s B12 deficiency?
methylmalonic acid or homocysteine
-if high, we got b12 deficiency
How do we tell iron deficiency apart from thalassemia minor?
- thalassemia pts have a lower MCV and a more abnormal peripheral smear and usually reticulocytosis
- look at the freakin iron studies
how is the diagnosis of alpha thalassemia madE?
by exclusion
-there is no change in proportion of the normal adult hemoglobin species
how is B12 decifiency treated?
with parenteral therapy
-means inject it into them
EOD for folic acid deficiency
- macrocytic anemia
- megaloblastic blood spmear
- reduced folic acid levels in rbc’s or serum
- NORMAL B12 LEVELS