Microbiology & Pathology Chapter 8

Characteristics of polycythemia vera are:

-Weakness - fatigue - vertigo (dizziness) - tinnitus (ringing in the ears) - irritability - enlarged spleen - congestion of the face causing a ruddy discoloration - redness and pain in the extremities - black-and-blue spots on the skin - coma - stroke

Pernicious Anemia

-caused by a failure of the body to produce enough intrinsic factor, an intestinal chemical to absorb vitamin B12 in the intestine. -not due to a lack of iron in the diet it is due to a lack of intrinsic factor, which allows the proper absorption of iron from digesting food.

Aplastic Anemia

-caused by improper growth or impaired function of bone marrow. -In cases the red bone marrow is unable to produce adequate amounts of red blood cells to transport hemoglobin.

Sickle Cell Anemia

-hereditary, chronic anemia, characterized by the presence of a large number of crescent- or sickle-shaped red blood cells.

polycythemia (aka erythrocytosis)

-idiopathic disorder of the blood. -chronic, life-shortening disorder involving bone marrow

Hemolytic disease of the newborn (aka erythroblastosis fetalis)

-occurs when a child conceived of an Rh-postive father and an Rh-negative mother. -disorder only occurs if the child inherits the Rh-postive factor from the father, rather than the Rh-negative factor from the mother.

Hemophilia

-oldest known hereditary bleeding disorder - hemorrhagic disease characterized by a tendency toward excessive and sometimes spontaneous bleeding

Thrombocytopenia

-refers to a severely reduced platelet (thrombocytes) count in the blood. -typically occurs when the bone marrow fails to produce platelets as quickly as they are used, or when platelets are removed too quickly from the blood.

Hemolytic Anemia

-results from the hemolysis, or rupturing of red blood cells prematurely. - may be a congenital disorder or it may be due to the effects of toxic agents.

Leukocytosis does not usually occur in viral infections and may be caused by any of the following:

1. Hemorrhage 2. Extensive surgeries 3. Coronary occlusions 4. Cancer 5. Pregnancy 6. Chemical Intoxications 7. Toxemias (poisons)

Platelets typically last about ____ days in the blood, and there are between ___ million and ____ million

10; 150; 400

There are types of hemophilia:

A and B both types are caused by low levels or complete absence of blood protein essential for blood clotting to take place

Sickle cell anemia occurs almost exclusively among..

African Americans, native Americans, and mediterranean populations

Hemophilia B (Christmas disease)

Factor IX deficiency

Two broad categories of anemia are:

Primary anemia and secondary anemia

Sickle cell anemia is usually present after about ________ of age.

Six months

diseases of the white blood cells are usually associated with..

a disorder of the growth of white blood cells

Erythrocytes

abnormally high red blood cell count.

Vitamin B12 is required for the process of..

absorbing iron in the diet

Diseases of the red blood cells are usually associated with..

anemia

Generally speaking anemia results from

bleeding or from decreased levels of red blood cells due to either their increased destruction or decreased production the body.

Anemia

blood disorder in which the capacity of the blood to transport oxygen is decreased, usually because the total number of red blood cells is diminished.

To inherit sickle cell anemia..

both parents must have possessed the recessive gene for hemoglobin S.

Leukemia

cancer of the white blood cells or the tissues which synthesize white blood cells.

Leukopenia

disease condition in which there are a decreased number of white blood cells in the blood. It may be caused by a wide variety of pharmaceutical agents as well as a failure of bone marrow to produce white blood cells.

There are numerous disorders of the blood but they generally can be divided into one of three categories:

diseases of the red blood cells, diseases of the white blood cells, or bleeding disorders.

Leukemia is more frequent in combination with..

down syndrome, overexposure to radiation, or among persons being treated aggressively with chemotherapy

Hemophilia A

due to a lack of the blood clotting protein factor VIII

Purpura is common after..

either chemotherapy or radiation therapy in cancer treatment.

Hemolytic disease of the newborn is formerly known as

erythroblastosis fetalis

Symptoms of Purpura

hemorrhaging into the skin, leaving discolorations that are red, darkening into purple, and that usually disappear in two to three weeks.

Secondary Anemia

includes those anemias in which there is an increased loss or destruction of red blood cells.

Primary anemia

includes those types of anemia in which there is a decrease in the production of red blood cells

Leukocytosis

increase in the number of white blood cells in the blood.

It is believed that hemoglobin S is a genetic alteration that evolved in Africa because..

people with sickle trait were more likely to survive malaria outbreaks in Africa.

Purpura

spontaneous bleeding into the tissues and through the mucous membranes

If a second Rh-postive fetus is conceived

the Rh factor antibodies can cross the placental barrier and endanger the fetus.

primary sign of leukemia

white blood cell count elevated 10-100 times that of normal range