RBC WBC

Term	Definition	Causes	Manifestations
General Anemia	Decrease in erythrocytes, hemoglobin, or abnormal hemoglobin, reducing oxygen-carrying capacity and causing tissue hypoxia	1. Decreased erythrocytes 2. Reduction of hemoglobin 3. Presence of abnormal hemoglobin	1. Weakness 2. Fatigue 3. Pallor 4. Syncope 5. Dyspnea 6. Tachycardia
Iron-Deficiency Anemia	Very common anemia due to insufficient iron for hemoglobin production	1. Decreased iron consumption 2. Decreased iron absorption 3. Increased bleeding	1. Cyanosis to sclera 2. Brittle nails 3. Decreased appetite 4. Headache 5. Irritability 6. Stomatitis 7. Pica 8. Delayed healing
Pernicious Anemia	Vitamin B12 deficiency, often caused by a lack of intrinsic factor needed for absorption	1. Autoimmune destruction of intrinsic factor	1. Bleeding gums 2. Diarrhea 3. Impaired sense of smell 4. Loss of deep tendon reflexes 5. Personality changes 6. Paresthesia 7. Unsteady gait
Aplastic Anemia	Bone marrow depression leading to pancytopenia (reduction of all blood cells)	1. Idiopathic 2. Autoimmune conditions 3. Medications 4. Medical treatments 5. Viral infections 6. Genetic abnormalities	1. Weakness, pallor, dyspnea (anemia) 2. Recurrent infections (leukocytopenia) 3. Bleeding (thrombocytopenia)
Hemolytic Anemia	Anemia caused by excessive erythrocyte destruction	1. Idiopathic 2. Autoimmune reactions 3. Genetic disorders 4. Infections 5. Blood transfusion reactions 6. Blood incompatibility in neonates	1. Fatigue 2. Jaundice 3. Pallor 4. Tachycardia 5. Splenomegaly
Sickle Cell Anemia	Genetic disorder in which abnormal hemoglobin (Hemoglobin S) causes erythrocytes to sickle, leading to hypoxia and ischemia	1. Genetic (autosomal co-dominant) 2. More common in people of African, Mediterranean, South/Central American, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern descent	1. Pain episodes (tissue ischemia/necrosis) 2. Abdominal pain 3. Bone pain 4. Jaundice 5. Frequent infections 6. Delayed growth
Thalassemia	Inherited blood disorder affecting hemoglobin production, due to lack of alpha or beta globin	1. Genetic (autosomal dominant) 2. More common in Mediterranean, Asian, Indian, African descent	1. Fatigue 2. Dyspnea 3. Hepatosplenomegaly 4. Bone deformities 5. Jaundice 6. Delayed growth
Polycythemia Vera	Neoplastic disease characterized by abnormally high erythrocyte production	1. Idiopathic	1. Cyanotic or plethoric skin 2. High blood pressure 3. Tachycardia 4. Headaches 5. Visual disturbances 6. Thrombosis risks
Hemophilia A	X-linked recessive bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency of clotting factor VIII	1. Genetic (X-linked inheritance)	1. Bleeding (e.g., bruising, petechiae) 2. Prolonged bleeding after injuries or surgeries
Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC)	Life-threatening condition involving widespread coagulation followed by massive bleeding	1. Immune response to other conditions (e.g., infections, cancer, trauma)	1. Tissue ischemia 2. Abnormal bleeding (e.g., bruising, petechiae) 3. Organ failure in severe cases
Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP)	Autoimmune condition where platelets are destroyed, leading to hypocoagulation	1. Idiopathic 2. Autoimmune diseases 3. Immunizations (live vaccines) 4. Viral infections 5. Immunodeficiency disorders	1. Bleeding (e.g., bruising, petechiae)
Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP)	Deficiency in an enzyme needed for cleaving von Willebrand’s factor, leading to platelet aggregation and depletion	1. Idiopathic 2. Genetic predisposition 3. Medical treatments 4. Cancer 5. Medications 6. Pregnancy 7. HIV	1. Purpura 2. Fatigue 3. Fever 4. Headache 5. Tachycardia 6. Jaundice 7. Neurological changes (confusion, speech changes)

This table should be neat and helpful for studying!

Disease

Characteristics

Manifestations

Neutropenia

1. Neutrophils < 1500 cells/mL

2. Causes:

2.1. Increased usage

2.2. Drug suppression

2.3. Radiation therapy

2.4. Congenital conditions

2.5. Bone marrow cancers

2.6. Spleen destruction

2.7. Vitamin deficiency

1. Depends on severity

2. Infections (respiratory, skin, gastrointestinal)

3. Signs of infection (fever, malaise, chills)

Lymphomas

1. Cancers of the lymphatic system

2. Most common hematologic cancer in the US

3. Two main types:

3.1. Hodgkin's lymphoma

3.2. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Hodgkin's Lymphoma

1. Least common of the two

2. Solid tumors with Reed-Sternberg cells

3. Typically in lymph nodes of upper body

4. Several subtypes

5. Very curable with treatment

1. Painless enlarged nodes

2. Weight loss

3. Fever

4. Night sweats

5. Coughing

6. Splenomegaly

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

1. Affects the lymphatic system

2. No Reed-Sternberg cells

3. More common in Caucasians

4. Can originate in T or B cells

5. Many types with poor prognosis

6. Involves genetic, environmental, immune factors

Similar to Hodgkin's, but differs in spread and diagnosis

Leukemia

1. Cancer of leukocytes

2. Second most common blood cancer

3. Abnormal proliferation of leukemia cells

4. Risk factors: chemical exposure, smoking, certain diseases

5. Types:

5.1. ALL

5.2. AML

5.3. CLL

5.4. CML

1. Leukopenia

2. Anemia

3. Thrombocytopenia

4. Lymphadenopathy

5. Bone pain

6. Hepatomegaly

7. CNS dysfunction

Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)

1. Primarily affects children (75% of childhood leukemias)

2. Responds well to therapy, good prognosis

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

1. Primarily affects adults

2. Responds fairly well to treatment, worse prognosis than ALL

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

1. Primarily affects adults

2. Poor response to therapy, but patients often live many years post-diagnosis

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)

1. Primarily affects adults

2. Poor response to chemotherapy, improved prognosis with bone marrow transplant

Multiple Myeloma

1. Plasma cell cancer (third most common)

2. Excessive abnormal plasma cells in bone marrow

3. Causes bone destruction and hypercalcemia

4. Often well advanced at diagnosis

1. Gradual onset

2. Anemia

3. Bone pain

4. Hypercalcemia

5. Renal impairment