8/21/2019 Blood Disorders Affecting Red Blood Cells

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/blood-disorders-affecting-red-blood-cells 1/4

Blood Disorders Affecting Red Blood Cells

Blood disorders that affect red blood cells include:

Anemia: People with anemia have a low number of

red blood cells. Mild anemia often causes no

symptoms. More severe anemia can cause fatigue

pale s!in and shortness of breath with e"ertion.

#ron$deficiency anemia: #ron is necessary for the

body to ma!e red blood cells. %ow iron inta!e and

loss of blood due to menstruation are the most

common causes of iron$deficiency anemia. &reatment

includes iron pills or rarely blood transfusion.

Anemia of chronic disease: People with

chronic !idney disease or other chronic diseases tend

to develop anemia. Anemia of chronic disease does

not usually re'uire treatment. #n(ections of a

synthetic hormone )*pogen Procrit+ to stimulate the

production of blood cells or blood transfusions may

be necessary in some people with this form of

anemia.

Pernicious anemia )B,- deficiency+: An autoimmune

condition that prevents the body from absorbing

enough B,- in the diet. Besides anemia nerve

damage)neuropathy+ can eventually result. igh

doses of B,- prevent long$term problems.

Aplastic anemia: #n people with aplastic anemia the

bone marrow does not produce enough blood cells

including red blood cells. A viral infection drug side

effect or an autoimmune condition can cause

aplastic anemia. Blood transfusions and even a bone

marrow transplant may be re'uired to treat aplastic

anemia.

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia: #n people with this

condition an overactive immune system destroys

the body/s own red blood cells causing anemia.

Medicines that suppress the immune system such

as prednisone may be re'uired to stop the process.

&halassemia: &his is a genetic form of anemia that

mostly affects people of Mediterranean heritage.

Most people have no symptoms and re'uire no

treatment. 0thers may need regular blood

transfusions to relieve anemia symptoms.

1ic!le cell anemia: A genetic condition that affects

mostly African$Americans. Periodically red blood

cells change shape and bloc! blood flow. 1evere

pain and organ damage can occur.

Polycythemia vera: &he body produces too many

blood cells from an un!nown cause. &he e"cess red

blood cells usually create no problems but may

cause blood clots in some people.

Malaria: A mos'uito/s bite transmits a parasite into a

person/s blood where it infects red blood cells.

Periodically the red blood cells rupture causing

fever chills and organ damage. &his blood

infection is most common in Africa2 those traveling

to Africa are at ris! and should ta!e preventive

measures. Malaria was eradicated from the 3.1. in

the ,456s.

Blood disorders that affect white blood cells include:

%ymphoma: A form of blood cancer that develops in

the lymph system. #n lymphoma a white blood cell

becomes malignant multiplying and spreading

abnormally. odg!in/s lymphoma and non$odg!in/s

lymphoma are the two ma(or groups of lymphoma.

&reatment with chemotherapy and7or radiation can

e"tend life with lymphoma and sometimes cure it.

%eu!emia: A form of blood cancer in which a white

blood cell becomes malignant and multiplies inside

bone marrow. %eu!emia may be acute )rapid and

severe+ or chronic )slowly

progressing+. Chemotherapy and7or stem cell

transplantation )bone marrow transplant+ can treat

leu!emia and sometimes result in a cure.

Multiple myeloma: A blood cancer in which a white

blood cell called a plasma cell becomes malignant.

&he plasma cells multiply and release damaging

substances that eventually cause organ damage.

Multiple myeloma has no cure but stem cell

transplant and7or chemotherapy can allow people to

live for years with the condition.

Myelodysplastic syndrome: A family of blood cancers

that affect the bone marrow. Myelodysplastic

syndrome often progresses very slowly but may

suddenly transform into a severe leu!emia.

&reatments usually include blood transfusions and

chemotherapy. 1tem cell transplant can sometimes

cure younger people with myelodysplastic syndrome.

Blood Disorders Affecting Platelets

Blood disorders that affect the platelets include:

&hrombocytopenia: A low number of platelets in the

blood. 8umerous conditions cause

thrombocytopenia2 most do not result in abnormal

bleeding.

#diopathic thrombocytopenic purpura: A condition

causing a persistently low number of platelets in the

blood due to an un!nown cause. 3sually there are

no symptoms yet abnormal bruising small red spots

on the s!in )petechiae+ or abnormal bleeding can

result.

8/21/2019 Blood Disorders Affecting Red Blood Cells

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/blood-disorders-affecting-red-blood-cells 2/4

eparin$induced thrombocytopenia: A low platelet

count caused by a reaction against heparin a blood

thinner given to most people who are hospitali9ed to

prevent blood clots.

&hrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: A rare blood

disorder causing small blood clots to form in blood

vessels throughout the body. Platelets are used up inthe process causing a low platelet count.

*ssential thrombocytosis )primary

thrombocythemia+: &he body produces too many

platelets due to an un!nown cause. &he platelets do

not wor! properly resulting in e"cessive clotting

bleeding or both.

Blood Disorders Affecting Blood Plasma

Blood disorders that affect blood plasma include:

1epsis: An infection somewhere in the body spreads

into the blood. 1ymptoms include fever rapidbreathing respiratory failure and low blood

pressure.

emophilia: A genetic deficiency of certain proteins

that help blood to clot. &here are multiple forms

of  hemophilia ranging in severity from mild to life$

threatening.

von illebrand disease: von illebrand factor is a

protein in blood that helps blood to clot. #n von

illebrand disease the body either produces too

little of the protein or produces a protein that

doesn/t wor! well. &he condition is inherited but

most people with von illebrand disease have no

symptoms and don/t !now they have it. 1ome people

with von illebrand disease will have e"cessive

bleeding after an in(ury or during surgery.

Blood Disorders Affecting Blood Plasma continued...

ypercoaguable state )hypercoagulable state+: A

tendency for the blood to clot too easily. Most

affected people have only a mild e"cess tendency to

clot and may never be diagnosed. 1ome people

develop repeated episodes of blood clotting

throughout life re'uiring them to ta!e a daily blood

thinning medicine.

Deep venous thrombosis: A blood clot in a deep vein

usually in the leg. A deep venous thrombosis can

dislodge and travel through the heart to the lungs

causing a pulmonary embolism.

Disseminated intravascular coagulation )D#C+: A

condition that causes tiny blood clots and areas of

bleeding throughout the body simultaneously. 1evere

infections surgery or complications

of  pregnancy are conditions that can lead to D#C.

8/21/2019 Blood Disorders Affecting Red Blood Cells

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/blood-disorders-affecting-red-blood-cells 3/4

;uerte <ayrone <ames R. Professor: Ms %ugtu

B1MD&$,B ,5$=6>-$4?>

#ntro to Medical &echnology with 1cience

&echnology and 1ociety

Anisocytosis is a medical term meaning that a patient/s red blood cells are of

une'ual si9e. &his is commonly found in anemia and other blood conditions. ;alse

diagnostic flagging may be triggered by an

elevated BC count agglutinated RBCs RBC

fragments giant platelets or platelet clumps. #n

addition it is a characteristic feature of bovine

blood.

&he red cell distribution width )RD+ is a

measurement of anisocytosis and is calculated

as a coefficient of variation of the distribution of 

RBC volumes divided by the mean corpuscular

volume )MC@+

&ypes

Anisocytosis is identified by RD and is classified according to the si9e of RBC

measured by MC@. According to this it can be divided into

• Anisocytosis with microcytosis $ #ron deficiency sic!le cell anemia

• Anisocytosis with macrocytosis $ ;olate or vitamin B,-

defeciency autoimmune hemolytic anemia cytoto"ic chemotherapy Chronic liver

disease Myelodysplastic syndrome

#ncreased RD is seen in iron deficiency anemia &halassemia Ma(or )Cooley/s

anemia+ &halassemia #ntermedia and myelodysplastic syndromes

• Anisocytosis with normal RBC si9e $ *arly iron vit B,- or folate deficiencydimorphic anemia 1ic!le cell disease chronic liver disease Myelodysplastic

syndrome

 

Poikilocytosis refers to the presence of poi!ilocytes in the blood. Poi!ilocytes are

abnormally shaped red blood cells as seen on a blood film in humans and many wild

8/21/2019 Blood Disorders Affecting Red Blood Cells

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/blood-disorders-affecting-red-blood-cells 4/4

and domestic species of animals though they are common in some clinically normal

small ruminants particularly goats.

8ormal red blood cells are round flattened dis!s that are thinner in the middle than

at the edges. A poi!ilocyte is an abnormally shaped cell.- enerally poi!ilocytosis

can refer to an increase in abnormal red blood cells of any shape where they ma!eup ,6E or more of the total population.

Membrane abnormalities

,. Acanthocytes or 1pur71pi!e

cells

-. Codocytes or &arget cells

=. *chinocytes and Burr cells

5. *lliptocytes and 0valocytes

>. 1pherocytes

F. 1tomatocytes or Mouth cells

?. Drepanocytes or 1ic!le Cells

G. Degmacytes or Hbite cellsH

&rauma

,. Dacrocytes or &eardrop Cells

-. Ieratocytes

=. Microspherocytes and Pyropoi!il

ocytes

5. 1chistocytes

>. 1emilunar bodies