88.5k views
2 votes
In diseases such as immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, which causes agglutination of RBCs, the RBC count obtained from an automated hematology analyzer will be falsely ___________.

a. microcytic
b. decreased
c. macrocytic
d. increased

User Bill Clark
by
8.3k points

1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

In immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, the RBC count obtained from an automated hematology analyzer will be falsely decreased.

Step-by-step explanation:

In diseases such as immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, the red blood cell (RBC) count obtained from an automated hematology analyzer will be falsely decreased (option b).

Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia is characterized by the destruction of red blood cells due to the presence of antibodies that bind to the RBCs. This causes agglutination, or clumping, of the RBCs. When the automated hematology analyzer counts the RBCs, the agglutinated cells may not be counted accurately and can result in a falsely decreased RBC count.

User Grant Clements
by
8.0k points