Review Question - QID 212486

A 51-year-old man presents to his primary care physician with 3 months of increasing fatigue. He says that he has been feeling short of breath while walking to his office from the parking lot and is no longer able to participate in recreational activities that he enjoys such as hiking. His wife also comments that he has been looking very pale even though they spend a lot of time outdoors. His past medical history is significant for acute kidney injury after losing blood during a car accident as well as alcoholic hepatitis. Physical exam reveals conjunctival pallor, and a peripheral blood smear is obtained with the finding demonstrate in figure A. Which of the following is associated with the most likely cause of this patient's symptoms?