7,337 bytes added
, 15:26, 29 October 2010
{{review}}
==Introduction==
Anaemia refers to a reduction in [[Packed Cell Volume|packed cell volume]] (PCV), haemoglobin concentration or the level of total red blood cells. In the clinical approach to the anaemic patient, the initial step is to determine whether the anaemia is regenerative or non-regenerative. Regeneration refers to the production of new erythrocytes from the bone marrow and their subsequent release into the circulation. In dogs, there is a lag period of 48-72 hours before immature red blood cells (reticulocytes and nucleated red blood cells ) begin to appear in the circulation and the extent of the regenerative response is usually in proportion to the severity of the anaemic insult.
==Causes of Anaemia==
The major causes of anaemia are:
#'''Immune-mediated disease''' including [[Immune Mediated Haemolytic Anaemia|immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia]], a disease caused by an autoimmune response directed against endogenous erythrocytes, and [[Neonatal Isoerythrolysis|neonatal isoerythrolysis]], the result of a maternal immune response directed against foetal antigens inherited from the sire.
#'''Haemorrhage'''
#'''Haemolysis'''
#'''Anaemia of Chronic Disease'''
#'''Infectious Diseases''', notably:
*[[Equine Infectious Anaemia - Donkey|Equine Infectious Anaemia]] caused by EIA virus.
*Canine and feline infectious anemia caused by ''[[Mycoplasma haemocanis]]'' and ''[[Mycoplasma haemofelis]]'' respectively. Candidata ''M. haemominutum'' and ''M. turicensis'' may also cause anaemia in cats.
*''[[Leptospira|Leptospira spp.]]'' may cause anaemia, usually when an animal is exposed to a non-host-adapted serovar.
*''[[Babesia|Babesia spp.]]'' may cause anaemia in dogs and cattle.
*''[[Hepatozoon|Hepatozoon spp.]]'' in dogs and pigs.
*''[[Clostridium haemolyticum]]'' causing Redwater Fever in cattle.
==Regenerative or Non Regenerative?==
The following features may be used to determine whether anaemia is regenerative or non-regenerative:
{| cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" border="1"
| Feature
| Regenerative
| Non-regenerative
| Image
|-
| Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)
| '''Increased''' as reticulocytes are larger than mature erythrocytes
| '''Normal'''
|[[File:Polychromatic erythrocyte.png|thumb|150px|Reticulocyte<br><small>Copyright Arcadian 2006 Wikimedia Commons</small>]]
|-
| Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC)
| '''Increased''' as reticulocytes contain the remnant of the ribosomal RNA that is lost with progressive development of the cell
| '''Normal'''
|[[File:Erythrocyte.png|thumb|150px|Erythrocyte<br><small>Copyright Arcadian 2006 Wikimedia Commons</small>]]
|-
| Blood Smear
| '''Howell-Jolly bodies''' may be present as small basophilic spots within red blood cells. These represent the remnant of the endoplasmic reticulum of the erythrocyte.<br>
'''Large polychromatic''' red blood cells may be evident when the smear is stained with a Romanowsky stain. These cells probably represent reticulocytes but this cannot be confirmed unless a smear is also stained with a supra-vital stain such as new methylene blue. This latter procedure can be used to estimate the degree of reticulocytosis and to determine if this is appropriate to the severity of the anaemia.
| The red blood cells are usually normochromic and normocytic but poikilocytosis may be apparent in cases of maturation defect anaemia.
|[[File:Cabotsringbody.jpg|thumb|150px|Image of a Howell Jolly body (B)within a red blood cell<br><small>Copyright Jarkeld 2009 Wikimedia Commons</small>]]
|}
==Regenerative Anaemia==
The major causes of regenerative anaemia are '''haemolysis''' and '''[[Haemorrhage - Pathology|haemorrhage]]'''.
Haemorrhage may occur from any site and it may be external (often due to trauma) or internal. Any form of spontaneous haemorrhage with no apparent cause may suggest the presence of an underlying coagulopathy. The most common haemorrhagic presentations are:
*'''Epistaxis''' due to disruption or erosion of blood vessels of the nasal cavity by trauma, neoplasia, fungal infection or a foreign body.
*'''Haematuria''' which may arise due to haemorrhage from any part of the urinary tract, especially the kidney (due to trauma, neoplasia or idiopathic haematuria) and bladder (due to trauma, cystitis, urolithiasis and neoplasia).
*'''Melaena''', '''haematochezia''' or '''haematemesis''' due to gastro-intestinal haemorrhage. Meleana refers to the production of black tarry faeces with digested blood whereas haematochezia refers to the production of fresh blood with the faeces. Classically, haematemesis is described as resembling 'coffee grounds' as blood is denatured by a low gastric pH but, as the gastric pH of the dog may vary widely between 2 and 6, vomited blood may also appear as fresh red blood.
*'''Haemoptysis''' refers to the production of blood from the respiratory tract. It may occur with severe forms of pneumonia and with pulmonary haemorrhage.
*'''[[Haemoabdomen]]''', '''haemothorax''' and '''haemopericardium''' are all forms of [[Haemorrhagic Effusion|haemorrhagic effusion]] that occur in body cavities.
Haemolysis may occur in the following processes:
*'''Immune-mediated disease''' including [[Immune Mediated Haemolytic Anaemia]] and [[Neonatal Isoerythrolysis]].
*'''Infectious agents''' including ''[[Babesia|Babesia spp.]]'' in dogs and cattle, ''[[Feline Infectious Anaemia|Mycoplasma haemofelis]]'' in cats, ''[[Leptospira|Leptospira spp.]]'' in various species and ''[[Clostridium haemolyticum]]'' causing redwater fever in cattle.
*'''Inherited defects of red blood cells enzymes''' including pyruvate kinase (which is occur most commonly in West Highland white terriers) and phosphofructokinase (PFK).
*'''Hypophosphataemia''' which occurs in post-parturient cattle (causing post-parturient haemoglobinuria), with refeeding syndrome and when animals with [[Diabetes Mellitus|diabetes mellitus]] are stabilised with insulin.
*Exposure to '''toxins''' including rape and kale (which contain SMCO radicals) in cattle, onions and garlic in dogs and paracetamol in cats.
*'''Microangiopathic anaemia''' which occurs when red blood cells are forced through small meshworks of fibrin as with [[Haemangiosarcoma|haemangiosarcomas]], [[Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation|disseminated intravascular coagulation]] (DIC) or bacterial endocarditis.
Haemolysis usually results in a more strongly regenerative response than haemorrhage and it can be differentiated from the latter process by the fact that the plasma protein concentration does not fall.
==Non-regenerative Anaemia==
The failure to regenerate indicates that there must be some failure to produce red blood cells in the bone marrow. Erythrocytes are produced from stem cells in the bone marrow and they then undergo sequential stages of maturation before and after they are released into the circulation.
*Failure of the bone marrow stem cells to produce cells of the erythroid lineage
**'''[[Immune Mediated Haemolytic Anaemia|Pure red cell aplasia]]'''
**Aplastic anaemia
**Bone marrow suppression
**Myelophthisis
**Myelodysplasia
*Failure of maturation
**Iron deficiency
**Vitamin B12/folate deficiency
[[Category:Anaemia]][[Category:Dog]][[Category:Cat]][[Category:Horse]][[Category:Cattle]][[Category:Donkey]][[Category:Sheep]][[Category:Pig]]