Case reports that illustrate a logical stepwise approach to the understanding of common and rare haematological problems

Illustrative Case Studies in Haematology – Red Cell Riddles – is an educational book describing how the microscope, haematological findings, biochemical and molecular studies are used to reach a diagnosis. The book consists of 44 individual real-life case reports. Each case includes a brief clinical history, basic laboratory investigations, and initial impressions, leading to one or more possible diagnoses. Then, through more targeted investigations, the authors deliver a final diagnosis, which in most cases is at the molecular level.

For each case, a brief discussion is included, highlighting critical clinical and laboratory features, as well as recent progress in the area. Each individual case illustrates the close connection, in contemporary medicine, between clinical findings, haematological findings, and molecular analysis.

Illustrative Case Studies in Haematology includes:

• Patients with sickle cell disease, ranging from nearly asymptomatic to life-threatening
• Patients with different forms of thalassaemia
• Kernicterus in a G6PD deficient female infant
• Acquired alpha thalassaemia and myelodysplastic syndrome
• Paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria in a G6PD deficient patient
• The first case ever reported of homozygosity for an unstable haemoglobin
• Cases with long-term follow-up spanning decades, demonstrating disease progression, complications and therapeutic outcomes

Illustrative Case Studies in Haematology includes patients from many different countries: therefore it may hold value to haematologists throughout the world, seeking to diagnose both common and rare disorders with clarity and confidence. The book is also highly appropriate for trainee haematologists, biomedical scientists and medical students.

Lucio Luzzatto received his MD from the University of Genova in 1959 and has held positions at universities in five countries in three continents. He is currently an honorary professor of haematology at the University of Florence; and a Foreign Member of the Accademia dei Lincei.

David Roper has now retired from his role as Principal Biomedical Scientist at Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College, London, UK. He has co-written several chapters in major textbooks.