Haematology Flashcards
(124 cards)
Which anticoagulant is teratogenic
Warfarin
- especially if taken week 6-12 pregnancy
Heparin doesnt cross the placenta
Aspirin in high doses can cause premature closure of ductus arteriosus
Thalassemia
imbalance between alpha and beta globin chain production ie problem with quantity of globin
alpha - less alpha globin (normal= 4 genes); beta - less beta globin (normal = 2 genes)
Alpha characterised by increased Hb Barts (tetramer of gamma Hb)
Beta characterised by elevated A2 (alpha + delta)
Alpha thalassemia
1-4 gene deletions
1 gene deletion: clinically silent
2 gene deletion: normal or mild anemia
Moderate Barts (5-10%)
2 gene deletion + constant spring: mod -severe anemia
B0 thalassemia
No beta globin produced by that allele
If homozygous= no beta chains at all
unable to make HbA (only HbF/HbA2)–> severe anemia, transfusion dependant, haemochromatosis –> death
B+ thalassemia
B+/B+
B+= Reduced amount of normal beta globin
Moderate anemia, may be transfusion dependant
Less severe than B0
Produce up to 50% HbF, >4% HbA2, HbA ~50%
Beta thalassemia major
B0/B0, B0/B+, B+/B+ or compound heterozygote with HbE
progressive haemolytic anemia from ~6 months (when HbA is supposed to predominate), transfusion dependant from early age (<2 years)
clinical/phenotypical diagnosis
A globin tetramers form and appear as red cell inclusions; very unstable, reduce red cell survival –> anemia, increased (but ineffective) erythropoesis with early erythroid precursos death in BM (inappropriately low reticulocyte count) + compensatory massive BM expansion with thalassemic facies + maxilla hyperpasia/frontal bossing/HSM
HbF (alpha + gamma) >90%,HbA2 (alpha + delta) >5% no or very little HbA
Can be diagnosed at birth as no /very little HbA (only HbF)- normally 20% HbA at birth
beta thalassemia intermedia
less severe phenotype
Mod anemia but not transfusion dependant in childhood; may only be transfusion dependant during infection/pregnancy
usually B+/B+ or B0/B+
HbF up to ~60%, HbA up to ~40%, HbA2 >4%
B thal minor
AKA beta thal trait
Carrier
Mutation in only one beta globin gene
- either B+/B or B0/B
- only need one notmal gene to produce enough beta globin
Asymptomatic or mild microcytosis +/- anemia
Slightly elevated HbA2 3-7% HbF 1-3%, HbA >90%
Alpha 0 mutation
no alpha chains produced from that gene
Alpha + mutation
reduced alpha chains produced from that gene
major difference between sickle cell anemia and thalassemia
sickle cell- quality of globin produced
thalassemia - quantity of globin produced
What is Bart haemaglobin
Tetramer of gamma chains
Occurs in alpha thalassemia due to excess gamma chains when alpha chains cant be produced to form normal fetal haemaglobin
After birth this becomes HbH (tetramer of beta globins) when gamma chains stop being produced
What is HbH?
Tetramer of beta globins
Due to no alpha chains in alpha thalassemia
Complications of thalassemia
Anemia - can lead to high output heart failure, FTT
Skeletal abnormalities from BM enlargement
Iron overload from transfusions- toxicity in various organs, hypogonadism, hypothyroidism, insulin resistance growth impairment
Complications of hemolysis: jaundice, pigment gallstones
Hepatosplenomegaly (extramedullary hematopeisis in liver and spleen, hepatic iron deposition, hemolysis)
Hypersplenism –> pancytopenia
Liver fibrosis and cirrhosis
Venous thrombosis
Osteopenia/osteoporosis /bone pain
HbH disease
3 alpha chains affected
usually have symptomatic anemia at birth
May have pigment gallstones
HbH up to 30%, HbA2 up to 4%
Newborn screening for haemaglobinopathies
Normal adult and neonate haemaglobin studies
Adult: HbA 96-98%, HbA2 2-3%, HbF <1%
Neonate: HbF 80%, HbA 20%, HbA2 0%
Haemaglobin studies in beta thal trait
Elevated HbA2 >3.5%, HbF 1-4% (ie both slightly eleveated compared to normal) HbA 92-95%
Haemaglobin studies in beta thal major
Very low or no HbA, only HbF (95-98%), HbA2 (2-5%
this is detectable from birth (should have 20% HbA at birth >36 weeks)
*consider b thalassemia intermedia or major in a bub with <5% HbA (if born >36 weeks)
The absence of HbA (even at birth) is pathomenmonic for beta thal major
Hb Barts in newborns haemaglobin studies
In all newborns with α-thalassaemia the non functional abnormal fraction Hb Bart’s will always be detected. To some extent, the amount of Hb Bart’s correlates with the number of defective α-globin genes. A simple mild condition with a single gene defect (-α/αα) will present with very little Hb Bart’s (1-4%), while in samples with two defective α-genes, either in cis (–/αα) or in trans (-α/-α), the Hb Bart’s will rise to 5-15%, reaching 25% and higher in HbH disease with 3 defective α-genes (–/-α) (13-15).
Can a B thalassemia carrier be detected at birth?
Only intermedia or major can be detected by measuring HbA levels
HbA2 is not significantly expressed until 1 year of age to be used as a diagnostic parameter
Carriers would have HbA««20% but there is wide variation of “normal” so not really able to diagnose until later
haemaglobin studies in beta thal intermedia
HbA 10-30%
HbF 70-90%
HbA2 2-5%
co inheritance of alpha trait with homozygous beta thal major leads to…
reduction in alpha globin synthesis reduces burden of alpha globin inclusions so improves the phenotype
can change tranfusion dependant thal major to non transfusio dependant thal intermedia
what infections are increased in thalassemia major
Yersinia enterocolitica - iron loving, iron chelation makes it even more available
Listeria
Salmonella