Copper Deficiency - Symptoms - Hematological Presentation

Hematological Presentation

Most sufferers generally complain about tiredness, fatigue, and light headedness. These are all common symptoms of anemia. Around half of the patients displayed some kind of anemia with markedly reduced leukocytes also known as “leukopenia”. In addition to leukopenia, many patients are deficient in neutrophils (neutropenia). Neutropenia has become a hematological hallmark, enabling physicians to investigate copper deficiency as a diagnosis. All types of anemia including microcytic (small red blood cells), macrocytic (large red blood cells, leaving insufficient amounts of hemoglobin per unit volume of blood) and normocytic (a deficiency in normal sized red blood cells) manifest. It is very rarely that thrombocytopenia, which is a syndrome of low blood platelets leading to slowed clotting and abnormal bleeding, is observed in patients. Usually prolonged copper deficiency has to persist to manifest thrombocytopenia. Many times during a bone marrow biopsy, decreased granulocyte (which are granulated white blood cells including neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils) maturation, vacuolization of red blood cell precursors, and ringed sideroblastic cells are present. Sideroblastic cells have unusual patterns of iron clumping in the mitochondria that is visible when the cell is stained, receiving its name “ringed” sideroblast. Subacute combined degeneration is also a degeneration of the spinal cord, but instead of copper deficiency as the cause of degeneration, vitamin B12 deficiency is the cause. These bone marrow findings can lead to a diagnosis of myelodysplasia. Myelodysplasia is sometimes referred to “preleukemia.”. This disease often later progresses into a form of leukemia. Most of the people who are diagnosed with myelodysplasia will have to undergo a stem cell transplantation. A diagnosis of copper deficiency at the state is crucial to prevent unnecessary painful surgery, such as the bone marrow biopsy.