Pure Red Cell Aplasia (PRCA) is a rare disorder in which there is a failure of the bone marrow to produce precursors of red blood cells (RBCs or erythrocytes) resulting in anemia. Read more about Anemia- Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Read more about Bone Marrow- Structure, Composition, and Functions The disorder may be acquired or […]
Hematology
Abnormal RBC Types and Shapes
Abnormal RBC types and shapes can be seen under a variety of conditions. Normal RBCs have a biconcave shape with a central pale area. Any variation in size, shape, structure, color or arrangement of RBCs represents an abnormal cell. These abnormalities are detected by viewing the blood smear through a microscope. Identification of the abnormal […]
Prothrombin Time and International Normalized Ratio or PT/INR
Prothrombin time or PT test is a blood test that is used to measure the time it takes for blood to clot. The results of this test can be expressed in seconds or as a ratio International Normalised Ratio or INR. It is used to diagnose blood disorders which may result in a defect in […]
Splenomegaly- Causes, Investigations and Treatment
Splenomegaly is an enlargement of the spleen due to any cause. The spleen is an important organ located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen, just below the diaphragm and next to the stomach. It lies underneath the ninth, tenth, and eleventh ribs. In a normal person, the spleen is not palpable. Not only […]
Dietary Iron Requirement and Sources
Iron is a mineral vital for performing various functions in the human body. Its most important function is that it is one of the components of hemoglobin, the protein present in red blood cells that helps the blood to carry oxygen throughout the body. Therefore, it becomes essential to know about dietary iron, our main […]
Iron Deficiency Anemia: Causes, Lab Diagnosis and Treatment
Iron deficiency anemia is a type of anemia which occurs when the body does not have enough iron to produce the hemoglobin it needs. Functions and Metabolism of Iron Iron is present in all cells in the human body. It performs several vital functions including: Carrying oxygen to the tissues from the lungs in the […]
Myelophthisic Anemia: Causes, Features, Lab diagnosis and Treatment
Myelophthisic anemia is a type of anemia that is caused due to the replacement of normal bone marrow by nonhematopoietic or abnormal cells. These abnormal cells ( which could be either cancer cells, granulomas or fibrosis) result in disturbed hematopoiesis due to the following reasons: By physically replacing the native marrow cells By disturbing the […]
Macrocytic Anemia: Types, Causes, Investigations and Treatment
Macrocytic anemia is a type of anemia in which the red blood cells are larger than their normal volume. The term ‘macrocytic’ is a Greek word meaning ‘large cell’. Macrocytic anemia comes under the morphological classification of anemia; in which anemia is classified according to the size of red blood cells. The size is reflected in the mean corpuscular volume (MCV). […]
Pernicious Anemia: Causes, Investigations and Treatment
Pernicious anemia is a type of megaloblastic anemia that occurs when a person’s body is unable to absorb vitamin B12 from their gastrointestinal tract. This results in vitamin B12 deficiency and produces morphologically abnormal (unusually large and immature) red blood cells known as megaloblasts. It is also known as Biermer’s anemia, Addison’s anemia, or Addison-Biermer […]
Megaloblastic Anemia – Causes, Pathophysiology, Investigations and Treatment
Megaloblastic anemia is a type of anemia which is characterized by morphologically abnormal (unusually large and immature) red blood cells known as megaloblasts. Causes of Megaloblastic Anemia Megaloblastic anemia has several different causes – deficiencies of either cobalamin (vitamin B12) or folate (vitamin B 9) are the two most common causes. These vitamins play an […]