R. Wallerstein
Aug 2, 1976
Citations
0
Influential Citations
12
Citations
Journal
JAMA
Abstract
ANEMIA is a common clinical finding that can be assessed by a systematic use of the laboratory. More than 30 tests dealing directly with the cause of anemia are available in good hospital laboratories (Table). Problems with anemia can usually be solved by a few judiciously selected procedures. The tests can be separated into screening and specific classifications (Table). The screening tests can establish the category in which the anemia belongs, and the specific tests enable further study of the anemia in that category. It is convenient to begin the workup by considering the four categories of anemia: (1) iron deficiency, (2) megaloblastic, (3) hemolytic, and (4) bone-marrow failure, which has four subcategories—absolute (eg, aplastic anemia, leukemia, myeloma), relative (anemia associated with chronic disease, eg, infection, azotemia, liver diseases), ineffective erythropoiesis (ie, intramedullary hemolysis or refractory normoblastic anemia), and pure red blood cell (RBC) anemia. The most common anemias are