Differentiation of Anemia Types According to Clinical Conditions
| Type of Anemia | Symptoms | Clinical Signs | Buzzwords |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron-Deficiency Anemia | Fatigue, weakness, pallor, shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches | Pale skin, brittle nails, koilonychia (spoon nails), glossitis (inflamed tongue), angular cheilitis (cracks at the corners of the mouth) | “Microcytic hypochromic anemia”, “Pica”, “Low ferritin”, “TIBC increased” |
| Sideroblastic Anemia | Fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, weakness, irritability | Ringed sideroblasts in bone marrow, hepatosplenomegaly (enlarged liver and spleen) | “Basophilic stippling”, “Dimorphic RBC population”, “Increased iron stores” |
| Thalassemia | Fatigue, shortness of breath, jaundice, delayed growth in children, bone deformities | Hypochromic, microcytic RBCs, splenomegaly, target cells | “Target cells”, “Mediterranean ancestry”, “Hemoglobin electrophoresis”, “Crew cut appearance on skull X-ray” |
| Lead Toxicity Anemia | Abdominal pain, constipation, fatigue, behavioral changes, peripheral neuropathy | Basophilic stippling, lead lines on gums, abdominal tenderness, encephalopathy | “Lead lines on gums”, “Occupational exposure”, “Elevated lead levels”, “Blue-black gum line” |
| Anemia of Chronic Disease | Fatigue, weight loss, low-grade fever, weakness, pallor | Normal or slightly low MCV, elevated ferritin, low serum iron, low TIBC | “Normocytic normochromic anemia”, “Inflammation”, “Rheumatoid arthritis”, “Chronic infections” |
| Hemolytic Anemia | Fatigue, jaundice, dark urine, abdominal pain, back pain | Splenomegaly, jaundice, pallor, increased reticulocytes, bilirubin gallstones | “Increased reticulocytes”, “Positive Coombs test”, “Fragmented RBCs”, “Decreased haptoglobin” |
| Aplastic Anemia | Fatigue, frequent infections, bleeding, easy bruising, shortness of breath | Pancytopenia, hypoplastic bone marrow, petechiae, purpura | “Pancytopenia”, “Bone marrow biopsy”, “Hypocellular marrow”, “Idiopathic” |
| Megaloblastic Anemia | Fatigue, weakness, neurological symptoms (paresthesia, difficulty walking), glossitis | Macrocytic RBCs, hypersegmented neutrophils, atrophic glossitis, peripheral neuropathy | “Hypersegmented neutrophils”, “Vitamin B12 deficiency”, “Folate deficiency”, “Elevated MCV” |
| Sickle-Cell Anemia | Pain crises, fatigue, jaundice, shortness of breath, frequent infections, delayed growth | Dactylitis (swelling of hands and feet), vaso-occlusive crises, splenomegaly, acute chest syndrome | “Sickle cells”, “African descent”, “Hematocrit drop during crisis”, “Hemoglobin S” |
| Non-Megaloblastic Anemia | Fatigue, pallor, shortness of breath, weakness | Normocytic, normochromic RBCs, slightly elevated MCV, absence of hypersegmented neutrophils | “Liver disease”, “Alcohol use”, “Mildly macrocytic anemia”, “Normal folate and B12 levels” |
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