Chapter 4

Apuntes

Chapter 4 38 BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Clinical Pathology, 3rd edition. Edited by Elizabeth Villiers and Jelena Ristić. ©BSAVA 2016 Disorders of erythrocytes Elizabeth Villiers Erythrocyte disorders fall into two broad groups: anaemia and erythrocytosis (or polycythaemia). Anaemia may be due to reduced or defective red cell production, which results in non-regenerative anaemia, or increased red cell loss, which results in regenerative anaemia. Changes in red cell parameters, such as mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), reticulocyte count and morphological changes (e.g. presence or absence of polychromasia) aid in differ - entiating the causes of anaemia. To understand how these changes arise, it is necessary to review the process of erythropoiesis. A review of erythropoiesis Erythropoiesis takes place in the bone marrow, in islets around central macrophages known as nurse cells. These cells phagocytose extruded nuclear material, store iron as haemosiderin and supply iron for haemoglobin synthesis. The main regulator of erythropoiesis is erythropoietin (Epo), a glycoprotein produced in the kidney in ...