Hematopoietic Function and Disorders Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering leukocyte, erythrocyte, and platelet disorders, hematopoiesis, hemostasis, and related cancers.

Leukopenia

A disorder characterized by decreased leukocytes below the normal range of $5,000\text{ to }10,000\text{ cells/mL}$, leading to immunosuppression or deficiency.

Leukocytosis

A disorder characterized by increased leukocytes above the normal range of $5,000\text{ to }10,000\text{ cells/mL}$, indicating an ongoing infectious process.

Neutropenia

A leukocyte disorder where the concentration of neutrophils reaches $<1,500\text{ cells/mL}$, causing immunosuppression or deficiency.

Neutrophilia

A leukocyte disorder where the concentration of neutrophils reaches $>8,000\text{ cells/mL}$, indicating an active infection.

Erythrocytes

Red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, with a normal overall count of $3.8 - 5 \times 10^6\text{ cells/uL}$.

Hemoglobin

A structural component of erythrocytes that physically carries oxygen on the RBC, with a normal overall value of $12 - 15.6\text{ g/dL}$.

Hematocrit

The percentage of total blood volume occupied by erythrocytes, with a normal overall range of $35\% - 46\%$.

Thrombocytes

Blood platelets that allow blood to clot, with a normal range of $150,000 - 400,000\text{ cells/uL}$.

Thrombocytosis

A platelet disorder characterized by a platelet count $>400,000\text{ cells/uL}$, which increases the risk of thrombus formation.

Thrombocytopenia

A platelet disorder characterized by a platelet count $<150,000\text{ cells/uL}$, resulting in an increased risk of bleeding and infection.

Hematopoiesis

The process of blood formation, which in adults occurs primarily in the bone marrow rather than the spleen or liver.

Opsonization

The process of tagging bacteria for removal by the immune system, primarily filtered by the liver or by the spleen if poorly opsonized.

Erythropoiesis

The formation of red blood cells in response to hypoxia or ischemia, during which maturing cells expel their nucleus to become reticulocytes before maturing into erythrocytes.

Infectious Mononucleosis

An infectious disease caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) that infects B-cells and features generalized symptoms, fever, lymphadenopathy, and leukocytosis.

Heterophile Antibodies

Weak antibodies produced by incorporated B cells against poorly defined antigens, serving as the hallmark diagnostic finding for infectious mononucleosis.

Hodgkin's Lymphoma

A less common lymphoma characterized by solid tumors containing Reed-Sternberg cells, painless enlarged lymph nodes, night sweats, pruritus, and splenomegaly.

Reed-Sternberg Cells

Specific cells contained within solid tumors in Hodgkin's lymphoma, often originating in lymph nodes.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

A more common lymphoma that may originate in T or B cells, spreads differently, and generally has a poor prognosis among subtypes compared to Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Multiple Myeloma

Cancer of the plasma cells where excessive numbers of abnormal plasma cells in the bone marrow crowd blood-forming cells, leading to hypercalcemia and pathologic fractures.

Bence Jones Protein

An antibody normal in blood serum that spills over into the urine when elevated; its presence in urine is a sign of multiple myeloma.

Anemia

A condition characterized by a decreased number of RBCs, reduced hemoglobin, or abnormal hemoglobin, resulting in decreased oxygen-carrying capacity and tissue hypoxia.

Iron-Deficiency Anemia

A common microcytic anemia caused by decreased iron intake/absorption or increased bleeding, characterized by low serum ferritin and iron levels.

Pernicious Anemia

A microcytic anemia caused by Vitamin B12 deficiency, usually due to an autoimmune lack of intrinsic factor, leading to low cobalamin levels and neurological symptoms.

Intrinsic Factor

A substance responsible for the intestinal absorption of Vitamin B12; its autoimmune absence causes pernicious anemia.

Aplastic Anemia

An anemia characterized by bone marrow depression of all blood cells (pancytopenia), resulting in low RBCs, WBCs, and platelets with normocytic RBCs.

Pancytopenia

A concurrent deficiency of all three cellular components of blood (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets).

Sickle Cell Anemia

A codominant genetic disorder where abnormal Hemoglobin S causes RBCs to adopt a crescent shape, leading to vessel occlusion, hypoxia, tissue ischemia, and painful crises.

Hemoglobin S

The abnormal form of hemoglobin responsible for causing erythrocytes to sickled into a crescent shape in sickle cell anemia.

Thalassemia

An autosomal dominant disease resulting in abnormal hemoglobin due to a lack of alpha or beta globin, causing microcytic anemia, hypercoagulability, and hemolysis.

Polycythemia Vera

A rare neoplastic disease characterized by abnormally high erythrocytes that increase blood volume and viscosity, leading to tissue ischemia, gout, and kidney stones.

Hemostasis

The physiological mechanism of blood clot formation and bleeding control, divided into vessel constriction, temporary platelet plug formation, coagulation cascade activation, and fibrin plug formation.

Plasmin

An enzyme responsible for dissolving blood clots once tissue healing has occurred.

Hemophilia A

An X-linked recessive bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency or abnormality in clotting factor VIII, primarily causing bleeding into joints and deep tissues in males.

Von Willebrand Disease

The most common hereditary bleeding disorder, caused by altered Von Willebrand factor (VWF), resulting in bleeding in skin and mucous membranes such as nosebleeds.

Desmopressin

A therapeutic agent (DDAVP) administered in Hemophilia A and VWD that increases circulating factor VIII and VWF levels by approximately $3 - 5\times$.

Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation

A widespread disorder characterized by massive hypercoagulable clotting followed by severe hypocoagulable bleeding due to consumption of clotting factors.

Schistocytes

Fragmented red blood cells seen on microscopic examination, serving as a hallmark finding in Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) and Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP).

Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura

A hypocoagulation state caused by autoimmune destruction of platelets by antiplatelet antibodies.

Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

A non-autoimmune hypocoagulation state caused by a deficiency in the enzyme that cuts von Willebrand factor, leading to hypercoagulation, platelet depletion, thrombi, and schistocytes.

Purpura

A skin rash of purple spots caused by internal bleeding from small blood vessels.