LUSAKA APEX MEDICAL UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF MEDICINE

PATHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT 2

COURSE CODE: PTH 210

LECTURER: DR MUSANJE MUSONDA

DUE DATE: 8/8/23

INTAKE: 4th YEAR SEMESTER TWO

NAMES:
MILIMO MUZONGWE 2002000730
TAONGA KAIRA 2001000840
ESNART MANDONA 210100584
FAITH MOOYA 2001000939
CHIPO CHUUMPU 2101000545
KHANYISA NHLABATSI 2001000954
MAZUBA KASALA 1901001191
TINOZYE NKHATA 2101000606
MULIMA NATALIA MULWANI 1902000113
HELLEN ZIMBA 1902001184
A.Table showing interpretation of complete blood cell count and differential test
of the 39 year old female patient.
Parameter Comment

White Blood Count; 1.61 x Leukopenia.

10^9/L < This condition can result in an increased risk of
Ref interval (4.00 – 10.00) infections as the body’s ability to fight off
pathogens is compromised.
Red Blood Count 1.40 x 10^12/L Anemia.
< This condition can lead to an inadequate supply of
Ref interval (4.13 -10.00) oxygen to the tissues due to a decrease in red
blood cells
Platelets 52 x 10^9/L Thrombocytopenia: This condition can lead to
Ref interval (150 – 400) high risks of bleeding abnormalities due to
impaired blood clotting.

B. The diagnosis is Aplastic anemia or pancytopenia

Aplastic anemia results from damage to the blood stem cells. Stem cells are
immature cells in the bone marrow that give rise to all blood cell types (red blood
cells, white blood cells, and platelets). Injury to the stem cells leads to a decrease
in the number of these blood cell types.

The hemoglobin and hematocrit levels are below range which is an indication of
anemia. The MCV and MCH are high suggesting that the RBCs are larger than
normal ion size, indicating macrocytic anemia. MCHC is low which suggests a
decrease in the hemoglobin concentration indicating hypochromic anemia.
The WBCs count being low makes the body susceptible to infection which
indicates that it could be a cause of the aplastic anemia.
C. Viral infections that affect bone marrowcan play a role in the development of
aplastic anemia. Viruses that have been linked to aplastic anemia include hepatitis,
Epstein-Barr, cytomegalovirus, parvovirus B19 and HIV. Pregnancy. Your
immune system might attack your bone marrow during pregnancy.
The injury to hematopoiesis observed in AA has primarily been shown to be
facilitated by an antigen-driven immune response, which may be related to the
suspected etiologic factors discussed previously. The broad and heterogeneous
nature of these associated etiologic factors may call into question whether a single
mechanism is responsible for the resultant profound cytopenias with which AA
manifests. In fact, several pathophysiologic pathways have been proposed to
explain the pathologic nature of the disease, but the greatest proportion of cases is
hypothesized to be a result of uniform T cell-mediated autoimmunity and marrow
destruction leading to defective and nearly absent hehematopoiesis

D.symptoms of aplastic anemia include:

- Waxy pallor: Paleness, also known as pallor, is an unusual lightness of skin color
compared with your normal complexion.
- Fatigue: A lack of hemoglobin in the blood because there is less oxygen supplied
through the body.
- Headache: organs don’t get enough blood to function at 100% due to anemia.
When this happens in your brain, the blood vessels in your brain swell and cause
the pressure that sets off a headache.
- Bleeding: When your body doesn’t make enough healthy white blood cells, you
are at risk of developing severe infections. Without enough healthy platelets, you
can experience spontaneous internal bleeding.
- Petechiae: It is common to mistake petechiae for a rash, but they are actually due
to a bleeding abnormality. They occur when tiny blood vessels break
and hemorrhage into the dermis layer of the skin causing small rash-like red or
purple dots.
E.blood transfusions do not cure aplastic anemia but they do help in the
management of symptoms. Transfusion of red blood cells as they help raise the
RBC count as well as relive anemia and fatigue Platelets are also used which
prevent excessive bleeding. Antithymocyte globulin injection and cyclosporine
which are immunosuppressant.
REFERENCES

1.Barone, J. and Castro, M., (2016). USMLE step 1 lecture notes 2016: Pathology. New York:
Kaplan Medical.

2.Vinay Kumar, et al. (2017). Robins Basic Pathology, (10th edition). Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier -
Health Sciences Division

3.Robert Muir, et al. (1976). Muir’s Textbook of Pathology, (10th edition). London, Chicago: Year
medical publishers.