Anemia made easy

The body compensates for anemia by increasing cardiac output and redistributing blood to vital organs; anemia classification divides cells into normocytic normochromic, microcytic hypochromic, and macrocytic megaloblastic.

Explore the anemia general scheme as the foundation of anemia made easy, detailing symptoms, signs, investigations, and treatment, plus a three-question diagnostic approach.

Explore iron deficiency anemia: causes include poor absorption, limited intake, chronic blood loss, or increased demand; diagnose with iron profile: low serum iron, low ferritin, high total iron binding capacity.

Explore sideroblastic anemia: inherited and acquired causes, misdiagnosis as iron deficiency, iron studies and bone marrow examination, and treatment options including addressing underlying causes and bone marrow transplant.

Explore how megaloblastic anemia arises from vitamin b12 and folic acid deficiencies due to intrinsic factor deficiency affecting absorption. Learn symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment, including supplementation and transfusion when needed.

Explore non-megaloblastic anemia, focusing on bone marrow suppression and reduced cells, with causes including pregnancy, hypothyroidism, and alcohol consumption.

Aplastic anemia arises from Fanconi anemia, autoimmune causes, or drug/viral factors. Presents with fatigue, infections, and bleeding, diagnosed by bone marrow aplasia, treated with transfusions, marrow transplant, G-CSF, and erythropoietin.

Explore how hemolytic anemia increases red blood cell breakdown, elevates bilirubin levels, and differentiates intravascular from extravascular hemolysis, affecting urine and stool color.

Classifies hemolytic anemia into corpuscular and extracorpuscular types, detailing inside-RBC disorders such as hemoglobin or enzyme abnormalities. Outside-RBC causes include malaria, certain drugs, blood transfusion, and scorpion or snake toxins.

Explore the general scheme of hemolytic anemia, its clinical presentation with jaundice and splenomegaly, and the diagnostic approach to identify hemolysis types, bilirubin rise, and crises.

Explain spherocytosis as hereditary autosomal dominant or acquired autoimmune hemolytic anemia driven by spectrin defects in red cell membranes, causing hemolysis and jaundice; manage with folic acid and splenectomy.

This lecture covers paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). It highlights hemolysis, urine changes, and complement activation, and explains diagnosing with flow cytometry for CD55 and CD59, plus complement-inhibiting treatments.

Explore the beta-globin mutation behind sickle cell anemia, where glutamate to valine substitution creates hemoglobin S and an inherited disease with hemolytic anemia, jaundice, crises, and hydroxyurea treatment.

Explore thalassemia, from defective alpha or beta globin, featuring fetal hemoglobin and hemolytic crises; diagnose by CBC and electrophoresis, treat with transfusions, folic acid, vaccines, and bone marrow transplant.

Explore G6PD deficiency as a cause of hemolytic anemia, its African and Mediterranean variants, triggering factors, clinical crises, diagnosis, and management through trigger avoidance and supportive care.

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia involves antibodies attacking red blood cells, causing hemolysis and jaundice, with warm and cold types guiding diagnosis and treatment, including folic acid and transfusion.