Physician Assistant Exam Review

Macrocytic Anemia Macrocytic anemias produce strange dysfunctional blood cells. This will result in some hemolysis and progress to splenic dysfunction as the spleen becomes overloaded. Howell-Jolly bodies are DNA remnants seen with a macrocytic anemia or a damaged spleen. You will find them in B12 deficiency anemia, folate deficient anemia, sickle cell anemia and celiac […] The post S2 E076 Macrocytic Anemia appeared first on Physician Assistant Exam Review.

Our two main players in coagulation are platelets and clotting factors.  To help make things clear we can split up these two agents into separate categories even though the work in concert. Primary hemostasis When a blood vessel is damaged, the subendothelium spaces are exposed to blood.  This triggers a number of events designed to […] The post S2 E080 Clotting overview appeared first on Physician Assistant Exam Review.

Leukemia Leukemia is a disease characterized by the overproduction of a particular type of blood cell. This process often inhibits the production of normal blood cells These leukemia cells do not function as proper cells Leukemia does not form a solid tumor. Rather it produces blood cells which may infiltrate tissue. Leukemic cells have unusually […] The post S2 E078 Leukemia appeared first on Physician Assistant Exam Review.

Sickle Cell Anemia Genetic Pattern Autosomal recessive Homozygote inheritance of Hemoglobin S (HbS) Predominantly seen in the African American population Oxygenated HbS does not dissolve well and forms a gel that distorts the shape of the RBC into a sickle. This makes the cells “sticky” and less flexible leading to clogging of small blood vessels. […] The post S2 E077 Hemolytic Anemias appeared first on Physician Assistant Exam Review.

Anemia Anemia means low RBC or Hgb count. A patient could be bleeding out and have a low Hgb or they could have a dietary deficiency. Anemia is a starting place. As we get more detailed and more specific we can get a more clear diagnosis and treatment plan. One of the easiest places to […] The post S2 E075 Microcytic Anemia and a Better Way to Remember appeared first on Physician Assistant Exam Review.