Question

A 25-year-old woman has a 2-month history of difficulty in breathing and extreme fatigue. She has been on a “fad” diet for the past 6 months. Physical examination revealed no enlargement of the spleen or liver.

Laboratory data are:

Hemoglobin: 6.0 g/dL

Hematocrit: 18%

White cell count: 3.3 × 109/L

White cell differential:

Neutrophils: 10%

Lymphocytes: 80%

Monocytes: 10%

Eosinophils, basophils: 0%

Red cell count: 2.00 × 1012/L

RDW: 12 Reticulocyte count: 0.6%

Questions:

1. This patient’s MCV is ___ fL. (show your solution) ?

2. This patient’s MCH is ___ pg. (show your solution)

3. How would you classify this anemia morphologically?

4. Assuming normochromic and normocytic red cells, a blood sample with a hemoglobin of 15 g/dL would be expected to show a hematocrit of ___ %. Give your rationale.

5. A white blood cell (WBC) count and WBC differential are performed.

WBC count: 7.0 × 109/L; of 100 WBCs classified:

70% neutrophils, 20% lymphocytes, 7% monocytes, 2% eosinophils, and 1% basophil. The absolute neutrophil cell count is ___ × 109/L.

6. A patient being treated for metastatic carcinoma was found to have a white cell count of 5 × 109/L with 5 metarubricytes (nucleated red cells) per 100 white WBCs. What is the corrected white cell count for this patient?

Answer 1