Red Blood Cell Disorders Flashcards
(90 cards)
Anemia
Classic presentation?
- Reduction in circulating red blood cell (RBC) mass
- Presents with signs and symptoms of hypoxia
1. Weakness, fatigue, and dyspnea
2. Pale conjunctiva and skin
3. Headache and lightheadedness
4. Angina, especially with preexisting coronary artery disease
Surrogates for RBC mass? Official definition of Anemia?
- Hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), and RBC count are used as surrogates for RBC mass, which is difficult to measure
- Anemia is defined as Hb < 13.5 g/dL in males and < 12.5 g/dL in females (normal
Hb is 13.5-17.5 g/dL in males and 12.5-16.0 g/dL in females).
- Anemia is defined as Hb < 13.5 g/dL in males and < 12.5 g/dL in females (normal
How are anemias classified?
- Based on mean corpuscular volume (MCV), anemia can be classified as
- microcytic (MCV < 80 cubic micrometers)
- normocytic (MCV = 80- 100)
- macrocytic (MCV > 100 um3
MICROCYTIC ANEMIAS
Cause?
Anemia with MCV < 80um3
Microcytic anemias are due to decreased production of hemoglobin.
- RBC progenitor cells in the bone marrow are large and normally divide multiple times to produce smaller mature cells (MCV = 80- 100)
- Microcytosis is due to an “extra” division which occurs to maintain hemoglobin concentration.
Hemoglobin is made of heme and globin; heme is composed of iron and protoporphyrin. A decrease in any of these components leads to microcytic anemia.
Types of microcytic anemias?
- Thalassemia
- Anemia of CD
- Iron deficiency anemia
- Lead
- Sideroblastic
What is the most common type of anemia? What causes this type?
IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA
A. Due to decreased levels of iron -> decreased heme -> decreased Hb -> microcytic anemia
Lack of iron is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, affecting roughly 1/3 of world’s population.
How is iron obtained?
Describe absorption and transport of Fe.
Iron is consumed in heme (meat-derived) and non-heme (vegetable-derived) forms.
$ 1. Absorption occurs in the duodenum. Enterocytes have heme and non-heme (DMT1) transporters; the heme form is more readily absorbed.
2. Enterocytes transport iron across the cell membrane into blood via ferroportin.
3. Transferrin transports iron in the blood and delivers it to liver and bone marrow
macrophages for storage.
4. Stored intraccllular iron is bound to ferritin, which prevents iron from forming free radicals via the Fenton reaction.
Serum iron
measure of iron in the blood
Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC)
measure of transferrin molecules in the blood
%saturation
percentage of transferrin molecules that are bound by iron (normal is 33%)
Serum ferritin
reflects iron stores in macrophages and the liver
What causes iron deficiency?
Iron deficiency is usually caused by dietary lack or blood loss.
- Infants-breast-feeding (human milk is low in iron)
- Children- poor diet
- Adults (20-50 years)-peplic ulcer disease in males and menorrhagia or pregnancy in females
- Elderly- colon polyps/carcinoma in the Western world; hookworm (Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus) in the developing world
- Other causes include malnutrition, malabsorption, and gastrectomy (acid aids iron absorption by maintaining the Fe2+ state, which is more readily absorbed than Fe3’+).
Stages of iron deficiency
- Storage iron is depleted- ↓ ferritin; ↑TIBC
- Serum iron is depleted- ↓ serum iron; ↓ %saturation
- Normocytic anemia-Bone marrow makes fewer, but normal-sized, RBCs.
- Microcytic, hypochromic anemia-Bone marrow makes smaller and fewer RBCs.
Clinical features of iron deficiency
anemia, koilonychia, and pica.
Laboratory findings in IDA
- Microcytic, hypochromic RBCs with ↑ red cell distribution width
- ↓ ferritin; ↑ TIBC; ↓ serum iron; ↓ % saturation
$ 3. ↑ Free erythrocyte protoporphyrin (FEP)
Plummer~Vinson syndrome
iron deficiency anemia with esophageal web and
atrophic glossitis; presents with anemia, dysphagia, and beefy-red tongue
ACD
Anemia associated with chronic inflammation (e.g., endocarditis or autoimmune conditions) or cancer; most common type of anemia in hospitalized patients
Mechanism of ACD?
Chronic disease results in production of acute phase reactants from the liver,
including hepcidin.
l. Hepcidin sequesters iron in storage sites by (1) limiting iron transfer from macrophages to erythroid precursors and (2) suppressing erythropoietin (EPO) production; aim is to prevent bacteria from accessing iron, which is necessary for their survival.
Reduced available iron = reduced heme = reduced Hb = microcytic anemia
Lab findings in ACD
- ↑ ferritin, ↓ TlBC, ↓ serum iron, and ↓% saturation
- ↑ Free erythrocyte protoporphyrin (EEP)
SIDEROBLASTlC ANEMIA
Anemia due to defective protoporphyrin synthesis
Low protoporphoryn, can’t make heme, can’t make Hb, microcytic anemia
Lab findings in sideroblastic anemia?
- ↑ ferritin
- ↓ TIBC
- ↑ serum iron
- ↑ % saturation
- (iron-overloaded state) Same labs as in hemochromatosis
How is protoporphyrin synthesized?
I. Aminolevulinic acid synthetase (ALAS) converts succinyl CoA to levulinic acid (ALA) using vitamin B6 as a cofactor (rate-limiting step).
- Aminolevulinic acid dehydrogenase (ALAD) converts ALA to porphobilinogen.
- Additional reactions convert porphobilinogen to protoporphyrin.
- Ferrochelatase attaches protoporphyrin to iron to make heme (final reaction; occurs in the mitochondria).
What is the consequence of deficient protoporphyrin?
Iron is transferred to erythroid precursors and enters the mitochondria to form heme. If protoporphyrin is deficient, iron remains trapped in mitochondria.
- Iron-laden mitochondria form a ring around the nucleus of erythroid precursors; these cells are called ringed sideroblasts (hence, the term sideroblastic anemia,
What are the 2 types of sieroblastic anemia?
Congenital or acquired