Essential Notes on Anemia for Exams: Causes, Features, and Lab Findings

Essential Notes on Anemia for Exams: Causes, Features, and Lab Findings

Question 1. Iron deficiency anaemia.
Answer:

Definition:

• Any anaemia which responds to adequate dosage of iron is called iron deficiency anaemia.

Causes:

• Loss of blood
• Decreased intake of iron.
• Increased demand of iron in conditions like growth and pregnancy.
• Poor absorption of iron from intestine.

Features:

• Brittle nails, spoon shaped nails.
• Brittle hair.
• Atrophy of papilla in tongue.
• Dysphagia.
• Early breathlessness.
• Headache, irritability.
• Generalized body ache.

Investigation:

• Microcytic, hypochromic RBC.
• Normoblastic, hyperplastic bone marrow.
• Normal WBC and platelet count.
• Serum billirubin < 0.4 mgl dl.
• Serum iron decreases.
• Total iron binding capacity increases.

Question 2. Pernicious anaemia.
Answer:

Synonym:

• Addison’s anaemia.

Cause:

• Lack of intrinsic factor which helps in absorption of Vit. B₁₂.

Features:

• Generalised weakness.
• Loss of appetite, diarrhoea.
• Soreness and inflammation of tongue.
• Numbness/tingling of extremities.
• Pale yellowish discoloration of skin.
• Progressive ataxia.
• Subacute combined degeneration of spinal cord.

Investigations:

• RBCs macrocyotic and hypochromic.
• RBC count decrease.
• Hb- decreases < 12 gm/dl.
• Reticulocyte count increases.
• WBC and platelets decreases
• Atrophy of gastric mucosa.

Question 3. Megaloblastic anaemia.
Answer:

Definition:

• An anaemia that occurs due to deficiency of folic acid is called megaloblastic anaemia.

Causes:

• Less dietary intake.
• Poor absorption from GIT.
• Increased demand.
• Antifolate drugs.

Features:

• Soreness of tongue.
• Generalized weakness
• Loss of apatite
• Diarrhoea.
• Pale yellow skin.

Investigations:

• Defective DNA synthesis.
• RBCs – megaloblastic and hypochromic.
• RBCs are immature.

Question 4. Aplastic anaemia.
Answer:

• It occurs due to total suppression of bone marrow. The bone marrow is replaced by fatty tissues.
• It occurs in conditions like.
  1. Repeated radiation exposure.
  2. Presence of bacterial toxins.
  3. Excessive use of certain drugs like sulphur drugs.
  4. Malignancy of bone marrow.
• RBCs in this are normocytic and normochromic.