Topics in Clinical Biochemistry and Haematology (Haematology) Essay

Topics in Clinical Biochemistry and Haematology (Haematology) - Essay Example Sideroblstic anaemia can either ne inherited or acquired but in Johns case, an inherited disease is ruled out because he is already 64 years old and has never experienced any related disorder. Vitamin B6 and copper deficiencies are some of the likely precipitants of sideroblastic anaemia. Another probable diagnosis for John’s condition is Zieves syndrome but the condition can also be ruled out in John’s case because he has no history of prolonged alcohol abuse. John’s condition can therefore be diagnosed as autoimmune haemolytic anaemia. The diagnosis of John’s case was confirmed by the results of the Comb’s test which was carried out. For example, the test revealed some aggregation in the red blood cells and is likely to have been caused by action of antibodies against the red blood cells. The results of full blood count (FBC) are significantly important in the determination of an individual’s health status, assessment of drug treatment and dietary deficiencies as well as during the diagnosis of a number of hematologic conditions. On the other hand, blood biochemistry tests such as Comb’s test can effectively be used to check for a number of abnormalities in the body chemistry (Blann, 2007, p.56). In most haematology laboratories, full blood count and biochemistry tests are some of the widely used wide screening methods that are often applied to check for the presence of disorders such as anaemia(decreased haemoglobin or red blood cells), infections as well as a number of other common diseases that can be manifested in different parts of the blood. FBC may also be requested or performed in a number of other more specific situations such as to determine the severity of blood loss in an individual, help diagnose diseases such as anaemia and leukaemia, monitor the response to some types of drug treatment as well as to investigate the history of abnormal clotting or bleeding. Healthy individuals are generally