A 62-year-old male has been admitted to your ICU for routine post-operative monitoring after a vascular surgical procedure.
His pre-operative full blood count (FBC) is displayed below:
Parameter |
Patient Value |
Adult Normal Range |
Haemoglobin |
125 g/L* |
130 – 180 |
White Cell Count |
7.4 x 109/L |
4.5 – 11 |
Platelets |
255 x 109/L |
150 – 400 |
Mean Cell Volume |
110 fL* |
80 – 98 |
Mean Cell Haemoglobin |
30 pg/cell |
27 – 33 |
Mean Cell Haemoglobin Concentration |
320 p/L |
310 – 360 |
a) Give six possible causes for the findings on his FBC. (30% marks)
Not available.
The abnormalities are:
The cell haemoglobin content is normal, i.e. this is a macrocytic normochromic anaemia.
There are several common causes:
There are also a few uncommon causes:
Aslinia, Florence, Joseph J. Mazza, and Steven H. Yale. "Megaloblastic anemia and other causes of macrocytosis." Clinical medicine & research 4.3 (2006): 236-241.
Walker, H. Kenneth, et al. "Peripheral blood smear." (1990). in Clinical Methods: The History, Physical, and Laboratory Examinations. 3rd edition.