Anemia Case Study Essay

Anemia is a disease state that is characterized by a reduction of hemoglobin (Hb) or volume of red blood cells (RBC’s). The reduction in Hb or RBC’s leads to diminished oxygen carrying ability of the blood. Many forms of anemia exist – the anemias discussed will be relevant to our patient, JJ, based on her signs/symptoms and past medical history (PMH). Anemia can be classified based on the appearance or size of the RBC. The size of the RBC can be determined by either calculating the mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of the RBC based on hematocrit and

The general presentation of anemia includes, but is not limited to: fatigue, dizziness, weakness, shortness of breath, pale color of skin, cold feet and hands, and irregular heartbeat. Our patient JJ, presents to the clinic two weeks postpartum for a well-baby visit, with complaints of being fatigued and having a “difficult time bouncing back from the delivery”. Though fatigue can be attributed to numerous disease states, JJ is at risk for developing anemia because she delivered her baby via caesarean section (C-section) and discontinued taking
These values are compared to accepted reference ranges to find abnormal values. According to JJ’s lab values, her RBC’s, Hgb and Hct are below the lower end of the reference ranges for all three values. These objective data provide evidence that JJ is anemic. To further classify the anemia and help determine the underlying cause, the MCV can be calculated by using the Hct and RBC values. It is determined that JJ’s MCV is 85 fL/cell, which is within the reference range of normocytic anemia (81-99 fL/cell). As mentioned above, one of the causes of normocytic anemia is acute blood loss. Since her PMH does not mention chronic disease or any other condition that would result in blood loss, the evidence suggests that JJ’s anemic condition is possibly due to acute blood loss during her