Case 1: Tired Partick Woman

Aims: to learn how anaemia develops, how it is diagnosed and treated.

Points from Clinical Examination

• Pale sallow complexion.
• Icteric tinge to skin and sclera.
• No lymphadenopathy.

Cardiovascular system

• Normal BP (140/80 mmHg) and pulse.
• No signs of cardiac failure.

Abdomen

• Splenomegaly, 5 cms non-tender.

Points from Blood Tests

Blood Film

• Polychromasia means some red blood cells are showing up as bluish-gray. Microspherocytes are small, sphere shaped RBCs.

This scenario uses a patient with acquired autoimmune haemolytic anaemia to enable the students to pull together what they have already learnt about the normal production and destruction of RBCs.

Under abnormal conditions such as increased demands for red cell production to compensate for destruction (haemolysis) or acute blood loss, reticulocytes are more prominent .