Blood Disorders

Ague is a condition that occurs when someone has been affected by malaria or other diseases of the blood. Malaria is transmitted by infected mosquitoes. Ague is pronounced as "egg." It is...

Calf pain can be caused by many things. Evaluating the type and reason for the pain can help you decide if you can treat it at home or need emergency medical attention.

In 1997, a new class of contrast dyes to enhance magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tests became available. Gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) were hailed as the answer to a longstanding...

Fewer than 3,500 white blood cells per microliter of blood typically indicates a low count, although it varies among adults. Pay close attention to any symptoms you may be exhibiting, because a...

A clot is an excessively thick amount of blood that can travel to key parts of the body and pose life-threatening health risks. The tendency to form them can be hereditary or caused by sedentary...

Blood clots that occur in the leg are called Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). A DVT is a serious, potentially life-threatening complication that may occur after surgery. Surgical patients are often...

Weight loss and leg discoloration are common symptoms in various health disorders of the body. These symptoms can be a sign of various things. Some of the most common disorders with these symptoms...

When you receive an injury or undergo surgery, your blood platelets and chemicals known as clotting factors in your bloodstream help make your blood clot or stick together in order to stop your...

Hemophilia is a disease that affects blood clotting or how your blood becomes solid to stop bleeding. Approximately 18,000 people in the U.S. have hemophilia, according to the National Heart,...

Anemia occurs when the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells. There are many different forms of anemia, all of which have their own cause. Anemia can be temporary and mild, or it can...

In addition to basic nutrients and vitamins, the human body requires a certain amount of various minerals in order to perform its everyday functions. About 4 percent of the human body is made of...

Iron deficiency anemia occurs when the body does not produce enough iron, causing the body to make smaller and fewer red blood cells. Hemoglobin is a part of the red blood cell and carries oxygen...

Iron deficiency anemia is an extremely common medical disorder involving nearly a quarter of all premenopausal women. The typical causes of iron deficiency anemia include inadequate iron...

Sickle cell disease, also called sickle cell anemia, is an inherited blood disorder present at birth. Millions of people worldwide have the disease, including about 72,000 people in the United...

Thalassemia and sickle cell are genetic disorders. Thalassemia is the result of an imbalance in the two globin chains that produce the hemoglobin molecule. In sickle cell, a mutation of the genes...

Acidosis is an abnormally high concentration of acid in the blood and body tissues. It is a dangerous condition that when left untreated can cause the death of the patient.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the arm has many causes. Early intervention and treatment is key to preventing the development of more dangerous conditions.

An elevated level of potassium in the blood (hyperkalemia) is usually a minor condition that's easily treated. Severe cases of hyperkalemia may indicate a serious underlying condition such as...

A blood clot that forms in a blood vessel is called venous thrombosis. Thrombosis frequently occurs in the arms and legs, including thighs, calves and ankles.

Thalassemia symptoms emerge along a spectrum of severity and intensity based on the nature of the genetic coding of the disease for the individuals. Carriers of the genetic disease may show little...

The circulatory system functioning well is vital to health. Without arteries carrying oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, organs and tissues cannot thrive. The circulatory system is made up...

Rheumatoid factors are auto-antibodies produced by your immune system that attack healthy tissue in the body. Rheumatoid factor is most associated with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune...

Electrolytes are salts commonly found in the blood stream that are crucial to normal bodily functions. An overabundance or deficiency of electrolytes is an electrolyte imbalance.

Anemia is a physical disorder marked by an inordinately low number of red blood cells, or red blood cells that don't contain enough hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein that gives red blood...

Vasculitis is a disorder characterized by an inflammation of the blood vessels. This condition can weaken, scar and thicken the walls of the blood vessels. It can either be a chronic condition or...

MALT lymphoma stands for Mucosal-Associated Lymphoid Tissue lymphoma. It is a cancerous disease that typically begins in the stomach. Symptoms of MALT lymphoma are generally mild in their early...

Anemia occurs when the body lacks sufficient red blood cells. Pernicious anemia (PA) is a form of megaloblastic anemia, where the red blood cells are too large for proper utilization.

Aplastic anemia is a blood disorder that occurs when the body stops producing enough blood cells. It's a rare but serious condition that affects 500 to 1,000 people in the United States every year.

Cooley's anemia, or Beta Thalassemia, is a genetic blood disorder most commonly seen in Mediterranean, Asian and African ethnic groups. Patients with this disorder cannot make enough hemoglobin,...

Sickle cell anemia is a blood disorder in which red blood cells are "sickle" (crescent) shaped, causing their premature destruction. The condition is potentially life-threatening although the...

Your body forms blood clots in order to heal damaged vessels; it is when these blood clots break away and start voyaging through the body that they can cause real trouble. Learn the symptoms of a...

Blood urea occurs when the kidneys have trouble reabsorbing the urea, which is a waste product from the liver, from the rest of the body. It ends up in the blood in abnormal levels. It can be life...

Potassium is a necessary mineral that plays an important role in heart activity, metabolism, normal body growth, regulating muscle tissue. A low potassium level is also referred to as hypokalemia....

Hypocalcemia is a medical condition marked by low calcium levels in your bloodstream. The condition has a number of possible causes and produces a number of signs and symptoms.

Cryoglobulinemia is a condition in which abnormal proteins are found in the blood. The proteins are called cryoglobulins that become thick and gel-like in cold temperatures. This thickening may...

Myelodysplastic syndrome is a group of rare blood disorders in which the bone marrow does not function properly. These disorders have a high risk of developing into a usually-fatal form of...

Sickle cell is a type of genetic anemia. Normally, blood cells are round and move easily through the blood vessels. In sickle cell anemia, the blood cells are rigid and sickle-shaped. These...

Blood transfusion reactions, known scientifically as hemolytic transfusion reactions, are serious cases that take place after a patient receives a blood transfusion. In such cases, the immune...

A high level of potassium in the blood is known as hyperkalemia. It's normally a mild condition that can be easily treated, although severe cases are potentially fatal. Hyperkalemia is...

Metabolic acidosis is an increase in the level of acid in the blood due to a metabolic cause. These include an increase in the amount of acid ingested or produced by the body as well as a decrease...

Beta thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder passed down from parents to children. It's most common among people of Greek, Italian, Asian, Middle Eastern and African descent. There are three...

Cryoglobulinemia is a rare blood disorder diagnosed by multiple examinations and biopsies. According to the Mayo Clinic, cryoglobulins are proteins that bunch together when a person's body...

Hyperkalemia is a condition resulting in an increase in potassium levels in the blood. According to hyperkalemia.net, 8 percent of hospitalized patients suffer from hyperkalemia. While many cases...

One of the effects of an enlarged spleen--known as splenomegaly--is pain in the left side of the abdomen, next to the stomach, where the spleen is positioned. Although not all people experience...

A high level of potassium is known as hyperkalemia and may be any potassium level above the normal range of 3.5 to 5.0 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L). Hyperkalemia causes a variety of symptoms...

Hyperkalemia is an elevated level of potassium in the blood. It's generally defined as a potassium level greater than 5.0 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L). Severe hyperkalemia is a potassium...

Menstrual cycle symptoms can affect a woman's emotional, physical and even spiritual well-being. A woman's hormone level fluctuates causing a tug-of-war between joy and sadness, happiness and...

Sickle cell anemia is a genetic blood disorder resulting from a point mutation on the short arm of chromosome 11. The mutated gene sequence produces inelastic, sickle-shaped red blood cells which...

Hypocalcemia is a low level of free calcium in the blood that's most often caused by a thyroid disorder or the absence of parathyroid glands. It causes a range of symptoms and can be lethal,...

There are many conditions that affect red blood cells and hemoglobin C disease is one of them. To diagnose the condition a doctor will do a blood test to check the hemoglobin count and to do an...