“Fatigued: A Case on Blood”
1. The values collected from a CBC can reveal a great deal of information about a patient’s health. This information can be broken down into three broad categories, which are listed below. For each of these categories, list all of the CBC values that would provide information on that aspect of the patient’s health.
OXYGENATION STATUS (oxygen-carrying capacity): Hemoglobin, Hematocrit, RBC count, Mean RBC volume
IMMUNE STATUS (signs of infection, allergy, immune suppression): Neutrophils, Basophils, WBC count
HEMOSTASIS (blood clotting): Platelets
2. Review the measurements in the CBC. For each abnormal value, describe what physiological effect it might have on the patient. Connect each of your descriptions to one or more of the symptoms Harold has been experiencing.
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His symptoms are linked to his CBC results that are below the reference range of RBC, hematocrit and hemoglobin. Harold has an elevated mean of RBC volume while having a low RBC and hematocrit count, this indicates that he is producing an abnormally large RBC that does not efficiently carry oxygen.
3. Doctors have determined that Harold is anemic. Describe this condition. What are the primary pieces of evidence from the CBC that point to this diagnosis?
Anemia is a condition that develops when a person’s blood lacks enough healthy RBC or hemoglobin. The effect is an insufficient amount of oxygen to the tissues. In Harold’s case, the main parts of evidence from the CBC include the low RBC, hemoglobin, and hematocrit. Altogether, these three results suggest an unusually low total RBC mass.
4. Chronic atrophic gastritis is a condition that leads to the degradation of the lining of the stomach. Based on Harold’s history of this form of gastritis, his doctor also ordered tests to check the levels of vitamin B12 in his blood. How might Harold’s gastritis affect these