A Beginner's Guide to Blood Cells

PROFESSOR BARBARA BAIN, MB BS, FRACP, FRCPath, Professor of Diagnostic Haematology, St Mary's Hospital Campus, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, Consultant Haematologist, St Mary's Hospital, London, UKPrevious edition: Malden: Blackwell, 2004.

Preface vii

Abbreviations viii

1 The Blood Film and Count 1

Blood 1

The blood film 1

The blood count 17

Normal ranges 20

How to examine a blood film 22

2 Assessing Red Cells 29

Assessing red cell number and distribution (anaemia polycythaemia rouleaux formation red cell agglutination) 29

Assessing red cell size (microcytosis macrocytosis anisocytosis) 32

Assessing red cell shape (poikilocytosis) 32

Assessing red cell colour (hypochromia hyperchromia anisochromasia polychromasia) 32

Detecting red cell inclusions (Pappenheimer bodies basophilic stippling Howell-Jolly bodies) 41

The full blood count in red cell assessment 43

3 Assessing White Cells and Platelets 45

Assessing white cell and platelet numbers 45

Assessing neutrophil morphology 46

Assessing lymphocyte morphology 51

Assessing morphology of monocytes eosinophils and basophils 53

Assessing platelet morphology 53

4 Haematological Findings in Health and Disease 55

The blood film and count in healthy individuals 55

Abnormalities of red cells 56

Abnormalities of white cells 77

5 Emergency Morphology: The Relevance of the Full Blood Count and Blood Film in Acute Illness 97

Thrombocytopenia 97

Thrombotic microangiopathy and microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia 98

Other acute anaemia 100

Kidney injury and disease 105

Acute hepatic damage and liver failure 107

Acute leukaemia 109

Bacterial infection and other causes of leucocytosis 109

Eosinophilia 113

Lymphocytosis 115

Malaria 116

Neutropenia 119

Pancytopenia and leucoerythroblastic blood films 121

Neonatal emergencies 122

6 Self?]assessment 125

Index 143