Blood Disorders

Known also as acute myelocytic leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, acute granulocytic leukemia and acute non-lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer that strikes the blood...

A bleeding time test assesses clotting ability with regard to vasoconstriction and platelet response, and can also be an indicator of congenital and acquired blood disorders. These include...

A blood clot can arise in a finger from a pinching trauma, like being slammed in a door and bursting a vessel. Another cause is from the finger's being pierced, as by a wire, leading to a pooling...

White blood cells are protective cells in the blood that fight infection. These cells can exit the bloodstream through the vessel walls and defend against invading properties at the site of an...

If you suffer from hemophilia or a similar condition, your blood has trouble clotting. This can lead to heavy bleeding, bruising, headaches, and swelling of the joints. Fortunately, there are...

Healthy white blood cells release antibodies to help protect the body against disease. Without healthy WBCs, an organism (for instance, the human body) will wither and die. If the WBC count is too...

Iron overload, or hemochromatosis, occurs when too much iron accumulates in the blood. Left untreated, it can cause organ damage. Hemochromatosis is mainly genetic but can also be caused by too...

On each side of the neck, you will find a carotid artery. The carotid arteries carry the main blood supply from the heart to the brain. You can feel the artery pulsing by placing your fingers...

Dissolving plaque in arteries takes time, but it can be done. Arterial plaque can be extremely unhealthy because it can lead to heart disease, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, heart...

Thrombocytopenia is a medical condition that involves low blood platelet levels. Your platelets, also called thrombocytes, play an important role in your body. They aid in blood clotting by...

The PSA Test, or Prostate Specific Antigen Test, is a test performed on older males to determine their likelihood of developing prostate cancer. This test is controversial due to the high number...

Sickle cell disease is a blood disorder in which the hemoglobin in the blood is abnormal. This causes the blood cells to be shaped like the letter "C" or a sickle. Sickle cell disease reduces the...

A person diagnosed with hyperkalemia has too much potassium in the blood stream. A person's blood potassium level should be between 3.5 and 5 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/l), so any level above...

Acute or traumatic cystitis is a urinary tract infection caused most often by E. coli bacteria in the bladder and lower urinary tract. This condition is characterized by painful and frequent...

Heparin is an anticoagulant used to thin blood and prevent blood clots from forming. Heparin is typically injected subcutaneously in the abdomen. Patients receive heparin injections when there are...

Heparin is an injectable anti-coagulant that thins the blood to help prevent clotting but does not dissolve previously formed clots. Heparin is injected subcutaneously most commonly in the...

Calcium buildup in the blood vessels can be extremely harmful to one's health. An overproduction of calcium plaque can slowly accumulate in the arterial walls, cutting off oxygen and blood from...

Anemia is a blood disorder in which a person has very low levels of red blood cells. Anemia often occurs when there is not enough hemoglobin present in the red blood cells. Having anemia means you...

Iron-deficient anemia in men is rare and can often go undiagnosed for long periods of time. If you are a man who has recently experienced any type of blood loss (including hemorrhoids and ulcers)...

The blood has several gases dissolved in it which the body normally maintains within a narrow range of concentration. An arterial blood gas (ABG) is a common test that measures the levels of these...

Type 2 diabetes is most often caused by being overweight and eating too much sugar. Though some claim that there is no cure for type 2 diabetes, many people report that with proper weight loss,...

Blood clots form when blood coagulates and hardens inside a blood vessel or the heart. Sometimes, the clot may travel to another part of the body. When this happens, it is called an embolus....

My doctor recently got me interested in a project he is working on: Getting his patients to collect and store their own stem cells for future use. This is not as far-fetched as it sounds....

The signs of anemia in toddlers may depend on the seriousness of the condition. Mild cases of anemia may show no signs at all, however the signs will be more prominent as the anemia progresses to...

Many people often confuse anemia for hypovolemia, but the former is a decrease in the number of red blood cells or overall hemoglobin, while the latter is an emergency state that requires...

Blood clots typically begin in the legs, but can also form in other areas of the body such as the arms and heart. If these clots move from their original position, they can move through the body...

Coagulopathy represents a condition where too little or improper clotting takes place. This can happen whenever one or more the plasma proteins needed for the clotting process are insufficient or...

Blood clots, which are cells that have joined together, are often dissolved naturally within the human body. However, those that aren't dissolved can cause restriction and pain. Worse yet, their...

A Complete Blood Count (CBC) is a blood test with many components to determine infections and bacteria in the body. There are nine different tests which make up a CBC. One of which is CBC with...

Did you know that there is a gift of life growing inside your bones? Without having to give up a kidney, you can actually help a complete stranger who is facing a terminal illness. Bone marrow...

High-pressure environments are a great source of high blood pressure. Both high and low blood pressure can be potentially dangerous to your health. Your doctor might inform you that you need to...

Anyone can lower their blood pressure without any side effects or paying a fortune for a doctor visit and high-price prescriptions that keeps you tired and lethargic all the time.

Lead poisoning is a serious illness that can also be called plumbism, painter's colic and saturnism. Lead poisoning results as a cause of exposure to lead, which seeps into the bloodstream. Lead...

The term "blood poisoning," although used frequently, is not actually a medical term. When people refer to blood poisoning, they are usually referring to sepsis, or septicaemia, a blood disease...

You haven't been feeling well and you wonder if you may be anemic. If you're unusually tired and your hands tingle when you touch things, you might have an undiagnosed blood disorder and need to...

A person who has thalassemia must stick to a specific diet. Foods that are considered healthy for most people can cause serious complications for thalassemia patients. Thalassemia is a group of...

Jaundice is not a disease but rather a symptom that is indicative of other medical conditions and diseases. The symptom of jaundice is characterized by a yellowish tinting of the skin, yellowing...

The presence of bacteria in your child’s blood is always cause for concern. However, septicemia occurs when the bacteria produces poisonous levels of toxins. When this happens, your child’s...

Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a group of genetic disorders involving difficulties in producing bone marrow. It is caused by at least 11 different genes. The majority of the diagnosed cases of Fanconi...

Aplastic anemia happens when bone marrow stops producing as many stem cells as the body needs. This halts or reduces the production of red and white blood cells and platelets. Learn to recognize...

Sickle cell anemia occurs when the red cells within the blood become shaped like a sickle. Normal round, red blood cells easily move through blood vessels carrying oxygen throughout the body....

Fanconi's anemia (FA), an inherited blood disorder, occurs in both females and males and attacks all body systems. To inherit Fanconi's anemia, the child must receive an abnormal gene from each...

Sickle Cell disease is a blood disorder that affects the red blood cells. These blood cells can sometimes become shaped like a sickle (crescent shape) and have difficulty passing through blood...

Thalassemi, an inherited blood disorder, exists when an insufficient amount of hemoglobin, the oxygen supplying component of red blood cells, is produced. When red blood cells don't develop...

Fanconi's anemia (FA), an inherited blood disorder, occurs in male and females. To inherit Fanconi's anemia, a child must receive an abnormal gene from each parent. Though considered primarily a...

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited disorder in which abnormal, sickle-shaped red blood cells produce chronic anemia. Cells shaped like sickles don't move fluidly through your blood. They clump and...

Aplastic anemia occurs when the bone marrow ceases making enough white and red blood cells and platelets. Anyone with severe aplastic anemia is at a greater risk for bleeding or life threatening...

Bone-marrow diseases, such as bone-marrow cancer and leukemia, can be closely related to severe cases of anemia such Fanconi anemia and aplastic anemia. Anemias that are associated with...

Certain types of anemia, such as aplastic anemia, need more than just a blood sample to be correctly diagnosed. In these cases, you will screen for the condition with a bone marrow test. Since...

Anemia is a condition that occurs when the blood has a lower-than-normal concentration of red blood cells (RBCs) or the RBCs have a below average amount of hemoglobin. Iron-deficiency anemia is...