Aplastic Anemia

Anemia is a medical condition defined as having low amounts of red blood cells, thus transporting low levels of oxygen in the blood. Common symptoms include fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath. Causes for anemia vary, depending on the severity and duration of illness. Regular anemia can result with low levels of iron in the blood. (Mayo Clinic, 2014)

Anemia is a condition where the number and quality of erythrocytes in the blood decreases. There are several factors that may prompt anemia: blood loss, complications in erythrocyte production, increased erythrocyte destruction, or a combination of these. There are different types of anemia, and they are distinguished by size, shape, or the erythrocyte’s substance.

Anemia is a disorder of the blood. It occurs when your body does not produce enough erythrocytes or red blood cells (RBCs). Without the erythrocytes oxygen can not be adequately delivered to the tissues and organs throughout the body. This will cause you to become weak and tired. A person may also experience headaches, skin pallor, and faintness. Your body may attempt to compensate for these symptoms by speeding up the heart rate and respiratory rate. This is the body’s attempt to return oxygen levels to normal(Thibodeau and Patton, 2005).

The most prominent cause of Iron Deficiency Anemia is bleeding. Blood loss from the Gastrointestinal Tract is a significant cause of anemia for both men and women. When blood is present in excrement, a gastrointestinal problem exists. Many times, people are unaware of these problems with their waste products. When they begin to feel the symptoms of anemia and undergo tests that determine that they are anemic, it begins the process of discovering more health problems. Anemia can serve as the precursor of certain diseases. There are many instances when it is merely a sign of severe disease such as a peptic ulcer disease, gastritis, hemorrhoids, angiodysplasis of the colon, and colonic adenocarcinoma (http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/sep_96/browne.htm).

1. Which of the following anemias is caused by a failure of the bone marrow to produce red blood cells and may be congenital or acquired?

As a provider, one will care for many patients that have different types of anemia. Anemia is not so much as a disease as a symptom of an underlying issue. Although there can be particular signs and symptoms associated with anemia, the basis of a diagnosis is from laboratory data. For the purpose of this discussion, I will evaluate a case study and give a differential diagnosis. I will also assess how patient history, physical exam, and lab reports support my diagnosis. I will explain the pathophysiology of the type of anemia and give causes and treatment options available.

Iron deficiency anemia, one of the most common types of anemia, is a blood disorder where

Then anemia as previously meantioned kills red blood cells. Causing a veriaty of different trouble across the board with the body, along with substanial fatigue. This type of anemia is called low iron-anemia, which goes along with its cause. for this reason it is obvious to see why doctors and scientist believe that iron defiecency is one of the causes for lupus. Low iron enemia as well as chronic enemia wich is passed down through heretity is also suspected to be one of the reasons for lupus.

People who have Myelodysplastic Syndrome may not experience symptoms at the beginning of the disease. However, there are three main signs that can develop and alert healthcare providers that something is wrong. One of these is a low red blood cell count, or Anemia. Most patients that have myelodysplastic syndromes exhibit this indicator when first diagnosed. A normal red blood count can vary between 4.0 and 6.1 million red blood cells per microliter of blood in the body, depending on the age and sex of the patient. A red blood cell count lower than normal is characteristic of Anemia (Cafasso, Jacquelyn, and Gotter). Not only is Anemia shown by constantly low hematocrit, but it can also be characterized by constantly low hemoglobin. A normal hemoglobin count is between 12.0 and 15.5 grams per deciliter of blood for females, and 13.5 to 17.5 grams per deciliter of blood for males. Levels lower than these show a low hemoglobin level (Mayo Clinic, Hemoglobin Test). Hemoglobin is the protein in blood that carries oxygen to the different tissues in the body.

Also known as normocytic anemia. This is the most frequent type of anemia most often happening to males over 85 years old. It is a common problem that occurs to men and women over 85 years old. Symptoms include and are caused by: a reduced production of normal-sized red blood cells even though presence of hemoglobin in the red blood cells is within the standard range; an increased production of HbS as is seen in sickle cell diseases; greater destruction and loss of red blood cells; an increase in plasma volume that is not compensated by anything else; a B2 (riboflavin) deficiency; and a B6 (pyridoxine) deficiency. (Brill & Baumgardner 2000).

1. Anemia, pp. 989. Anemia is a areduction in the total number of erythrocytes in the circulating blood or a decrease in the quality or quantity of hemoglobin. Anemias commonly result from (1) impaired erythrocyte production, (2) blood loss (acute or chronic), (3)increase erythrocyte destruction, or (4) a combination of these three. sThe fundamental physiologic manifestation of anemia is a reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood resulting in tissue hypoxia.

* Anemia-related fatigue occurs when there is a decrease in red blood cells (RBCs). This happens when myeloma cells replace RBCs in the bone marrow.

Yearly, around six hundred to nine hundred people are diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia within the United States. Aplastic Anemia is a autoimmune hematological disorder that causes pancytopenia which is a reduction in major blood components, namely, erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets. This disease has been labelled as a type of bone marrow failure, that is often due to not one but a variety of disorders that occur simultaneously. Aplastic Anemia can therefore be defined as a bone marrow disorder that is often rare, non contagious, and can often be life threatening.

Aplastic Anemia (AA) can be idiopathic (~70%), inherited (~15-20%) or acquired due to radiation, tablets, viruses or immune disturbances (~10-15%). Idiopathic and secondary AA is generally immune mediated through autoreactive lymphocytes intermediating damage of hematopoietic stem cells. The clinical course of AA is very different, some patients might have only mild symptoms, needed to be little or no therapy, while others with life-threatening

Pernicious anemia due to decreased B12 affects the hematopoietic,gastrointestinal and nervous systems of the body. The hematopoietic system is affected in that, B12 is essential for the formation of red blood cells, therefore without adequate B12, there is a reduction in the production of red blood cells causing abnormally large shaped red blood cells to be produced. Red blood cells carry oxygen , therefore the NP will anticipate patients with anemia to have symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, pallor, tinnitus, cardiomegaly with murmur, tachycardia, and chest pain. Additionally, symptoms of the affected gastrointestinal system include anorexia, weight loss, abdominal cramping, weight loss, and glossitis. Moreover, symptoms of the affected