Anaemias

• WBC - white blood cells per litre of blood
• RBC: red blood cells per litre of blood
• haemoglobin: amount per 100ml of blood
• PCV: packed corpusclar volume - ratio of plasma to RBC
• MCV: mean corpuscular volume, average size of red cells
• MCHC: mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, the amount of Hb within an individual cell
• PLT: platelets per litre of blood
• retics: reticulocytes, number of reticulocytes as a percentage of total RBC
• reticulocytes?

  Immature red blood cells.
• ESR: rate of RBC sediment is left to stand in a tube
• anaemia: a condition in which there is a deficiency of red cells or of haemoglobin in the blood, resulting in pallor and weariness.
• classification:

  • blood loss - acute/chronic
  • increased haemolysis
  • diminished production of RBC
  • morphology
• blood loss?

  acute - blood loss from trauma/disease

  chronic - slow blood loss GI or gynaecologic
• Increased Haemolysis?

  • RBC destruction
  • hereditary or acquired
  • drug, infection, physical agents
  • haemolytic disease
• diminished production of RBC:

  • nutrition deficiency
  • bone marrow failure
• classification by morphology:

  • macrocytic
  • normocytic, normochromic
  • hypochromic microcytic
• clinical characteristics of anaemia?

  • pale thin skin
  • weak, malaise, easy fatigability
  • dyspnea on exertion, faintness
  • headache, vertigo, tinnitus
  • dimness of vision, spot before eyes
  • brittle nails, loss of convexity
• main types:

  • iron deficiency
  • megaloblastic
  • pernicious
  • folate deficiency
  • sickle cell
  • aplastic
• atrophic glossitis

  
• angular cheilitis

  
• lobulated tongue in folate deficiency

  
• pernicious anaemai