Anaemia is a condition where the amount of red blood cells in the body is low. Red blood cells contain haemoglobin, a red pigment which gives blood its colour. The job of haemoglobin is to carry oxygen around the body. When red blood cells and therefore haemoglobin are low the blood fails to supply the body’s tissues with sufficient amounts of oxygen. As your lungs and heart will then have to work harder to get oxygen into the blood, symptoms of anaemia, such as difficulty in breathing will begin to develop.

So how does anaemia develop:

* Heavy periods.
* Diet low in iron.
* Internal bleeding, for example if you have an ulcer or a tumour.
* Diet low in vitamin B12 or folic acid.
* Blood diseases such as leukaemia.

This is a 72 year old lady who presented with anaemia. Her CT scan is as below.

Care to guess the diagnosis??