Blood Disorders
What are blood disorders? Everything you need to know about different blood diseases, their symptoms, and how they are diagnosed.
Symptoms and Causes
Blood disorders encompass all diseases that affect the blood and its components. Due to their nature, symptoms can appear anywhere in the body.
There are four main types of blood diseases:
Red Blood Cell Disorders:
These affect the number and characteristics of red blood cells (erythrocytes), which contain hemoglobin and transport oxygen throughout the body.
- Anemia: A lower-than-normal red blood cell count, leading to inadequate oxygenation of organs.
- Erythrocytosis or Polycythemia: An excess of red blood cells, which may result from heart disease, dehydration, or polycythemia vera, a condition affecting bone marrow’s ability to produce red blood cells.
- Hemoglobinopathy: Production of structurally abnormal hemoglobin cells; a genetic disorder.
- Thalassemias: A hereditary condition in which the body does not produce enough hemoglobin.
- Spherocytosis: A rare condition where red blood cells take on a spherical shape due to a membrane defect, causing them to break down prematurely.
White Blood Cell Disorders:
These affect both the properties and number of leukocytes present in the blood.
- Leukopenia: A low white blood cell count, weakening the immune system.
- Leukocytosis: An increased production of white blood cells. This can be a normal response to infection or inflammation but may also result from bone marrow diseases such as leukemia.
Platelet Disorders:
These conditions affect blood clotting.
- Thrombocytopenia: A lower-than-normal platelet count, which can lead to difficulty stopping bleeding—potentially life-threatening if it occurs in the brain.
- Thrombocythemia: Excessive platelet production, but the platelets do not function properly.
Plasma Disorders:
These are coagulation disorders, making the body more prone to bleeding. Hemophilia is an example of this type of condition.
Symptoms
Each blood disorder has distinct symptoms. The most characteristic symptoms, depending on the type of disease, include:
- Red Blood Cell Disorders: Fatigue, pallor, weakness, shortness of breath, thickened blood, clots, or headaches.
- White Blood Cell Disorders: Fever, swollen lymph nodes, enlarged spleen, or recurrent infections.
- Platelet Disorders: Blood clots, petechiae (small red or purple spots on the skin), bleeding, or bruising.
- Plasma Disorders: Uncontrollable bleeding, breathing difficulties, rapid heartbeat (tachycardia), easy bruising, or frequent nosebleeds.
Causes
The most common causes of blood disorders include:
- Genetic: Mutations in genes regulating the production of red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets.
- Hereditary: Passed from parents to children, often due to coagulation factor disorders.
- Autoimmune: The body mistakenly attacks blood components, identifying them as foreign agents.
- Infectious: Certain viruses, such as hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), can cause blood diseases. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) are also linked to blood disorders.
- Nutritional Deficiencies: Diets low in iron, vitamin C, or folic acid, among other nutrients, can negatively impact blood plasma.
- Medical Treatments: Chemotherapy, certain anti-inflammatory drugs, immunosuppressants, or beta-blockers can disrupt the balance of blood components.
- Other Diseases: Some cancers, such as leukemia, as well as liver disease or kidney failure, can cause blood disorders.
Risk Factors
Several factors increase the risk of developing a blood disease, including:
- Family history
- Genetic predisposition
- Conditions that may alter normal blood composition
- Medical treatments that affect plasma components
Complications
Complications arising from blood disorders may include chronic fatigue, difficulty fighting infections, impaired blood clotting, a tendency to bruise easily, frequent bleeding, and, consequently, a higher risk of stroke.
Prevention
Most blood diseases cannot be prevented. However, maintaining a balanced diet rich in vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants is recommended to support blood health.
Which Doctor Treats Blood Disorders?
Hematologists diagnose and treat blood diseases.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of blood disorders is based on family history and symptoms. Additionally, the following tests are used:
- Complete Blood Count (CBC): A blood test that provides a complete count of white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. It also evaluates hemoglobin levels (the protein responsible for oxygen transport) and hematocrit (the percentage of red blood cells in the blood).
- Coagulation Tests: These assess platelet function as well as coagulation times and factors.
- Protein Measurement: Determines whether there are abnormalities in blood protein structure or levels.
- Bone Marrow Biopsy: Analyzes a sample of the soft tissue inside bones, which is involved in blood cell production. This test can detect leukemia and other blood cancers, stem cell disorders, or infections.
- Coombs Test: Detects the presence of antibodies that destroy red or white blood cells.
- Karyotype Test: Determines the patient’s chromosomal pattern to identify possible genetic abnormalities.
Treatment
Treatment options vary depending on the type of blood disorder and the specific characteristics of each patient. The most common treatments include:
- Medications: Some blood disorders can be treated with specific drugs.
- Blood Transfusions: Blood or its components are transfused from a donor to patients who cannot produce them adequately.
- Therapeutic Phlebotomy: Safe, periodic blood removal to manage conditions involving excessive iron or red blood cells.
- Bone Marrow Transplant: Replaces malfunctioning stem cells to improve blood component development. This is common in patients with leukemia, multiple myeloma, or thalassemia.
- Immunotherapy: Used for blood cancers. This therapy utilizes substances naturally produced by the body, sometimes enhanced in a laboratory, to attack malignant cells.
- Chemotherapy or Radiotherapy: Limits the growth of cancerous cells.