Hematology

Anemia summary

The table below provides a summary of the mechanism and cause of anemia. Causes of anemia Type of anemia Causes Hemorrhage Trauma, vessel wall injury or defects (e.g. vasculitis), hemostatic disorders (thrombocytopenia, von Willebrand disease, coagulation factor deficiency) Inflammation (mostly ↓ production, mild hemolytic component) Many causes Mechanisms: Cytokine suppression of erythropoiesis (erythropoietin release, responsiveness to erythropoietin),

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Differentiating leukemias

We use a combination of clinical data, hematologic and bone marrow findings, and immunophenotyping results (with flow cytometry) to differentiate between an acute leukemia (myeloid or lymphoid in origin and arising in the marrow) and a lymphoma with a leukemia phase, i.e. neoplastic cells in blood and/or bone marrow. In some cases, particularly with T

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“Big blue” cells

On the other hand, a major challenge is to discriminate between reactive lymphocytes and neoplastic hematopoietic cells (generally called ‘blasts” because their lineage is uncertain, i.e. they could be myeloid or lymphoid in origin). This decision is based on several findings, including the features of the cells, their numbers in blood, and clinical and hematologic

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Quick guide

Below is a summary of terms used to describe red blood cell morphologic features, the meaning of the term and associated interpretation (the provided list of diseases is not exhaustive). In addition, the interpretation is based on associations and the meaning in a given patient is entirely dependent on what is going on in the

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RBC method summary

The table below provides a summary of the methods used to provide red blood cell results from the ADVIA hematology analyzer. Method of measurement and reported results for red blood cell tests Result Derivation Details Reported HCT (%) Calculated HCT = (MCVxRBC)÷10 Routine hemogram, unless inaccurate (e.g. in vitro hemolysis) PCV (%) Direct measurement Centrifugation

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