Blood Cell Abnormalities Quiz

Blood Cell Abnormalities

• Blood cells have different roles: Red Blood Cells (Erythrocytes) carry oxygen and carbon dioxide, White Blood Cells (Leukocytes) fight infections, and Platelets (Thrombocytes) help with blood clotting.
• Abnormalities in blood cells can lead to various conditions.
• WBC disorders can be quantitative or qualitative.

Quantitative WBC Disorders

• Quantitative refers to the number of WBCs.
• Increased WBC count (neutrophilia) is often associated with infections, inflammation, injury, or certain cancers.
• A decrease in WBC count (neutropenia) can be due to inherited conditions, medications, or other diseases.
• Normal neutrophil count is 2000-7000 cells/uL.
• Increased in circulating neutrophils (adults) is usually greater than 7.5x10⁹/L; rarely >3000/pL.
• Mechanisms for neutrophilia include increased bone marrow production, release, and egress from bone marrow storage.
• Peripheral blood findings for neutrophilia include a left shift (bands, metamyelocytes, myelocytes), toxic changes (granulation, bodies), and vacuolation.
• Neutrophilic leukemoid reaction mimics leukemia but is usually due to infection.
• Normal basophil count is up to 100 cells/µL.
• Increased (basophilia) is linked to hypersensitivity reactions, chronic myeloid leukemia, or other diseases.
• Normal lymphocytes are 1000-3500 cells/µL (adults).
• Increase in circulating lymphocytes (>4.0x10⁹/L in adults) is linked with infection.
• Decreased lymphocytes (<2000/pL in children, <1000/µL in adults) is associated with various conditions, including systemic lupus erythematosus, steroid therapy, immune deficiencies, malnutrition, infections, and others.
• Normal monocyte count is up to 1000 cells/µL.
• Increased (monocytosis) can be due to chronic infections, recovery from acute infections, and collagen vascular diseases.

Qualitative WBC Disorders

• Qualitative refers to the structure and function of the WBCs.
• Qualitative disorders often involve inherited mutations affecting blood cell production or function.
• Examples include Alder-Reilly anomaly, May-Hegglin anomaly, Chédiak-Higashi syndrome, and chronic granulomatous disease.
• These disorders can be associated with problems in degrading or accumulating substances within the cells.
• Peripheral blood findings for qualitative disorders can include abnormalities in the size, shape, and granule characteristics.

Peripheral Blood Findings

• Various abnormalities in blood cells' appearance can indicate issues with their function or development. Specific abnormalities in these findings include inclusions, abnormal morphology, and abnormal counts.

Blood Disorders - Additional Information

• Gaucher disease, Niemann-Pick disease, and sea-blue histiocytosis are examples of qualitative disorders. Various other conditions lead to various types of blood cell abnormalities.
• Some blood disorders are associated with certain cancers and conditions. This includes various leukemias.
• Testing for blood disorders often involves checking for certain proteins or enzymes. For example, a nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) test is used to assess oxidative burst.

Specific Types of Leukemia

• The FAB classification system helps categorize acute myeloid leukemia (AML) into subtypes. There are different subtypes and classifications with various abnormalites leading to corresponding diagnoses. This system uses morphology.

Test your knowledge on blood cell abnormalities and disorders, particularly focusing on White Blood Cell (WBC) abnormalities. This quiz will cover both quantitative and qualitative aspects, including the conditions associated with changes in WBC count. Get ready to explore the critical roles of blood cells and their significance in health and disease.