Iron Deficiency Anaemia

Investigations of suspected 'Iron deficiency anaemia'

--Iron deficienycy anaemia--

• image on right shows small pointy cells, undercoloured and Hb depleted – not healthy and regular as the ones beneath it

Lab Tests:

• - Decreased Serum ferritin < below 12mcg/L (depleted stores)
• - Decreased serum Iron Plasma Fe/TIBC <19% 

% (calculation to get ratio of plasma iron over total iron binding capacity (measure of transferrin a cerrion protein)

• - Decreased MCV 
• When there's Increased Total Iron Binding Capacity - when there's extra transferrin, it takes up any free iron so the plasma iron also increases. Means that Plasma Fe/TIBC becomes a small number. When it is less than 19% it indicates iron defifiency anaemia
• Peripheral blood smear shows hypochromic, cone shaped cells and pencil shaped cells

-- Treatment --

-- look at underlying symptoms e.g treating hookworm

-- iron sulfide tablets 3x a day for 3-6 months after Pack Cell Volume has returned to normal

-- when they feel better they give up but never fully restock their ferritin and will have repeat bouts of iton deficiency for years.

Hemoglobinopathies

In herited disorder affecting rate of synthesis and/or the structure of the gobin chains in hemoglobin

-- Types of Haemoglobin -- 

HbA, HbA2 (alpha 2, beta 2 tetramer) - makes up 70% of blood, HbF (a2, gamma2)

--> In the first few weeks of life have slightly…