Immune mediated and haemolytic anaemia Flashcards
(16 cards)
What is the commonest cause of acute, life-threatening anaemia seen in dogs in the UK?
Immune mediated haemolytic anaemia (IMHA)
IMHA is often misdiagnosed when other causes are not immediately evident.
What are the two types of haemolytic anaemias?
- Intravascular haemolysis
- Extravascular haemolysis
What characterizes intravascular haemolysis?
Presence of free haemoglobin in plasma and urine
What is associated with extravascular haemolysis?
Plasma build-up and urinary excretion of bilirubin
What are hereditary stomatocytosis, elliptocytosis, and spherocytosis?
Morphological abnormalities of erythrocytes leading to fragility
Which dog breeds are associated with Pyruvate Kinase (PK) deficiency?
- Basenjis
- Beagles
- West Highland White Terriers
- Abyssinian cats
- Somali cats
What does Phosphofructokinase (PFK) deficiency cause?
Episodic haemolytic anaemia due to alkaline fragility of erythrocytes
What is a common cause of haemolytic anaemia in cats?
M. hemofelis
True or False: Leptospira spp. have been reported to cause haemolysis in dogs.
False
Which infections can trigger IMHA?
- Babesia spp
- Haemotrophic mycoplasmas
- Cytauxzoonosis
- Ehrlichia species
- Anaplasma species
- Heartworms
What phosphorus concentration is considered the greatest risk for haemolysis?
<0.5mmol/L
What are Heinz bodies?
Manifestations of oxidative injury to RBCs that can progress to haemolysis
What are some causes of intravascular haemolysis related to envenomation?
- Snakes
- Spiders
What can cause increased RBC sequestration and extravascular haemolysis?
Any splenic disease (e.g., torsion, malignancy)
What is microangiopathic anaemia characterized by?
Schistocyte formation due to shearing of RBCs
What is haemophagocytic syndrome?
Condition where normal RBCs undergo extravascular haemolysis without specific immune targeting
