Understanding Blood Disorders

Blood disorders are any condition or disease that involves abnormalities occurring in any of the components of blood. Components can be the red blood cells, white blood cells, the platelets or the...

Blood disorders are any condition or disease that involves abnormalities occurring in any of the components of blood. Components can be the red blood cells, white blood cells, the platelets or the plasma. Common blood diseases and disorders include anemia, hemochromatosis, hemophilia, thalassemias, thrombocytopenia, and Von Willebrand disease.

Anemia is a condition in which there is a lower than normal number of red blood cells in the blood. Hemoglobin is an iron-rich protein that gives blood the red color; if you don’t have enough of this hemoglobin you can be anemic. Hemoblobin helps the red blood cells to carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of your body. Without enough hemoglobin in your red blood cells your body won’t have enough oxygen. Without enough oxygen-rich blood you will feel tired. If you suffer from severe anemia, the consistent lack of oxygen to your body can damage your brain, heart and other organs within your body. If anemia is severe enough it can even be fatal.

Hemochromatosis is a blood disease in which the body can have a build up of too much iron. If you have too much iron in your body it can be toxic and damage organs. If a person has hemochromatosis and it goes untreated it can lead to illness or may even be fatal. Generally hemochromatosis is inherited from parents in which genes are abnormally absorbing too much iron.

Did you know that approximately 1 million individuals in the United States have a pair of hemochromatosis genes. If a child inherits one gene from each biological parent they may develop hemochromatosis. Not everyone who inherits two of these abnormal genes develops the disease the statistics show that only about half of those with two genes will develop hemochromatosis.

Hemochromatosis can lead to cirrhosis, irregular heart rate or heart rhythm called arrhythmia or heart failure. It can even lead to damage to the pancreas which then contribute to the disease, diabetes mellitus.

Hemophilia is a very rare, inherited blood disorder in which the blood does not clot normally and can lead to longer bleed times than is normal or healthy. When an injury occurs to a person with hemophilia, they can have internal bleeding that can damage organs, tissues, and can even lead to death. There are two types of hemophilia: Type A and Type B. Type A hemophilia are those who have little or no clotting factor VIII (8). Type A is the more common type of hemophilia. Those with type B hemophilia have low levels of clotting factor IX (9) or are missing this clotting factor altogether.

Hemophilia can be inherited or acquired. If your body forms antibodies to clotting factors in your own bloodstream the antibodies block the clotting factor from working correctly and this is called acquired hemophilia.

Thalassemias is an inherited blood disorder, meaning that it is passed down from parents to children genetically. Individuals with thalassemias have fewer red blood cells and also less hemoglobin than the body needs. This blood disorder leads to anemia (mild or severe). Individuals who have thalassemias can be treated with blood transfusions and medications and other treatments.

Thrombocytopenia is a blood condition in which the individual has a lower than normal platelet count. Platelets are important to the blood because they are made up of bone marrow and other blood cells that travel through your blood vessels sticking together and forming clots when necessary to stop bleeding. You may have also heard them called, thrombocytes. This blood disorder can be dangerous even fatal if severe bleeding occurs in the brain. Medications and blood or platelet transfusions can be given if needed to help the individual with thrombocytopenia.

Another inherited blood disorder that affects the blood ability to clot is Von Willebrand disease (VWD). Individuals with this disease have a low level of a protein in the blood called the Von Willebrand factor. This factor also helps the blood to clot. VWD is a more common blood disorder than hemophilia and is also a more milder blood disorder. VWD affects both females and males, while hemophilia mainly only affects males. There are three types of VWD.

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One Response to “Understanding Blood Disorders”

1. Pat says:

   March 5, 2009 at 10:00 am

   Foods containing calcium such as cottage cheese, yogurt, carrots, etc are great for slowing down iron absorbtion.

   Too much iron in the liver is worsened with booze.

   Drinks that have tannins work very well also. Black tea and my favorite, green tea are very helpful. Most herb teas do not contain tannins.

   Vitamin C enhances the absorption of iron. It is wise only to consume a moderate amount and not take Vitamin C tablets. Vitamin C has been known to precipitate heart palpitations in those with hemochromatosis.

   The ingestion of black tea has been shown to decrease the absorption of iron. African tea which is becoming popular may contain iron so too much should not be consumed.
   Patients with hemochromatosis should not take supplements unless there are documented deficiencies.

   In severe HH the disorder manifests as potentially life threatening conditions such as septicemia, cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer, diabetes, heart failure and heart arrhythmias.

   Hemochromatosis sufferrers should drink lots of water every day to keep the blood thin for easier phlebotomies and to keep the kidneys nice and flushed out.

   For people who are diagnosed and treated early, normal life spans are possible. If left untreated, HH will lead to critical organ damage and most likely death.

   You can find lots of real life tips from Pat at his blog.