| congenital anaemia | <haematology> A condition which develops in the foetus due to an incompatibility between the mother's blood type (RH factor) and the baby's. Maternal antibodies, which enter the foetal circulation during delivery attack the baby's red blood cells leading to haemolysis (rupture of the cells). Symptoms include an infant with an enlarged liver and spleen, swelling, jaundice and anaemia. (27 Sep 1997) |
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| congenital aplastic anaemia | <haematology> A rare inherited type of aplastic anaemia which carries an increased risk to the patient of developing leukaemia. May be treated by bone marrow transplant. Origin: Gr. Haima = blood (13 Nov 1997) |
| congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia | A group of autosomal recessive anaemia's characterised by ineffective erythropoiesis, bone marrow erythroblastic multinuclearity, and secondary haemochromatosis. Three types are described: Type I, macrocytic, megaloblastic anaemia with erythroblastic internuclear chromatin bridges, type II,, normoblastic anaemia with multinucleated erythroblasts, type III, macrocytic anaemia with erythroblastic multinuclearity and gigantoblasts. (05 Mar 2000) |
| congenital haemolytic anaemia | Accelerated destruction of red blood cells due to an inherited defect, such as in the membrane in hereditary spherocytosis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| congenital hypoplastic anaemia | Congenital nonregenerative, familial hypoplastic, or pure red cell anaemia; erythrogenesis imperfecta; Diamond-Blackfan syndrome; autosomal recessive normocytic normochromic anaemia resulting from congenital hypoplasia of the bone marrow, which is grossly deficient in erythroid precursors while other elements are normal; anaemia is progressive and severe, but leukocyte and platelet counts are normal or slightly reduced; survival of transfused erythrocytes is normal; minor congenital anomalies are found in some patients. Synonym: congenital nonregenerative anaemia, Diamond-Blackfan anaemia, Diamond-Blackfan syndrome, erythrogenesis imperfecta, familial hypoplastic anaemia, pure red cell anaemia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| congenital nonregenerative anaemia | Congenital nonregenerative, familial hypoplastic, or pure red cell anaemia; erythrogenesis imperfecta; Diamond-Blackfan syndrome; autosomal recessive normocytic normochromic anaemia resulting from congenital hypoplasia of the bone marrow, which is grossly deficient in erythroid precursors while other elements are normal; anaemia is progressive and severe, but leukocyte and platelet counts are normal or slightly reduced; survival of transfused erythrocytes is normal; minor congenital anomalies are found in some patients. Synonym: congenital nonregenerative anaemia, Diamond-Blackfan anaemia, Diamond-Blackfan syndrome, erythrogenesis imperfecta, familial hypoplastic anaemia, pure red cell anaemia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| congenital spherocytic anaemia | <haematology> A hereditary disorder that leads to a chronic haemolytic anaemia due to an abnormality in the red blood cell membrane. This disorder is caused by a defective gene. Red cells are resistant to stress and rupture easily. Infants may appear jaundiced and pale. Fatigue, weakness and shortness of breath are other symptoms that may be seen in older patients. The spleen may also be enlarged. Treatment includes splenectomy (removal of the spleen). After this is accomplished the life-span of the red blood cells returns to normal. Origin: Gr. Haima = blood (27 Sep 1997) |
| Cooley's anaemia | <haematology> A genetic disease that results when there is a defect in the synthesis of one (or more) of the subunits of haemoglobin. The subunits are referred to as alpha or beta globin chains. As a result of a genetic defect red blood cells are small and hypochromic (low haemoglobin in the cell). Anaemia is common. Incidence is approximately 4 out of 100,000 individuals. Genetic testing is recommended in pregnant females of Mediterranean descent for the purpose of identifying carriers of this potentially serious genetic disease. Origin: Gr. Haima = blood (27 Sep 1997) |
| polar anaemia | A form of anaemia sometimes observed in natives of temperate climates when they migrate to the Arctic or Antarctic regions. (05 Mar 2000) |
| myelopathic anaemia | <haematology> Any anaemia condition which arises from a space occupying lesion in the bone marrow. The circulating blood contains immature cells of the granulocytic series and nucleated red blood cells, frequently in numbers that are disproportionately large in relation to the degree of anaemia. Origin: Gr. Haima = blood (27 Sep 1997) |
| myelophthisic anaemia | <haematology> Any anaemia condition which arises from a space occupying lesion in the bone marrow. The circulating blood contains immature cells of the granulocytic series and nucleated red blood cells, frequently in numbers that are disproportionately large in relation to the degree of anaemia. Origin: Gr. Haima = blood (27 Sep 1997) |
| cow milk anaemia | Anaemia occurring in infants fed cow milk without iron supplementation, attributed to digestive tract allergic reaction leading to blood loss and hence iron deficiency. (05 Mar 2000) |
| crescent cell anaemia | <haematology> Disease common in races of people from areas in which malaria is endemic. The cause is a point mutation in the allele that codes for the beta chain of haemoglobin with a substitution of (valine for glutamic acid at position 6. The defective haemoglobin (HbS) crystallizes readily at low oxygen tension. In consequence, erythrocytes from homozygotes change from the normal discoid shape to a sickled shape when the oxygen tension is low and these sickled cells become trapped in capillaries or damaged in transit, leading to severe anaemia. In heterozygotes, the disadvantages of the abnormal haemoglobin are apparently outweighed by increased resistance to Plasmodium falciparum malaria, probably because parasitised cells tend to sickle and are then removed from circulation. Symptoms include joint pain, acute abdominal pain, and ulcerations of the lower extremities. Origin: Gr. Haima = blood (18 Nov 1997) |
| posthemorrhagic anaemia | An acute anaemia caused by fairly sudden and rapid loss of blood, as by traumatic laceration of a relatively large vessel, erosion of an artery in a duodenal ulcer, haemorrhage in an ectopic pregnancy, or the result of such diseases as haemophilia and acute leukaemia. Synonym: traumatic anaemia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| haemolytic anaemia | <disease, haematology> Anaemia resulting from reduced red cell survival time and haemolysis, either due to an intrinsic defect in the erythrocyte (hereditary spherocytosis or ellipsocytosis, enzyme defects, haemoglobinopathy) or an extrinsic damaging agent. For example autoantibody (autoimmune haemolytic anaemia), iso antibody, parasitic invasion of the cells (malaria), bacterial or chemical haemolysins, mechanical damage to erythrocytes. Origin: Gr. Haima = blood (18 Nov 1997) |