Anemia or anaemia is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen. This can be due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin available for oxygen transport, or abnormalities in hemoglobin that impair its function.
A thrombus, colloquially called a blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. There are two components to a thrombus: aggregated platelets and red blood cells that form a plug, and a mesh of cross-linked fibrin protein. The substance making up a thrombus is sometimes called cruor. A thrombus is a healthy response to injury intended to stop and prevent further bleeding, but can be harmful in thrombosis, when a clot obstructs blood flow through a healthy blood vessel in the circulatory system.
A myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is one of a group of cancers in which immature blood cells in the bone marrow do not mature, and as a result, do not develop into healthy blood cells. Early on, no symptoms typically are seen. Later, symptoms may include fatigue, shortness of breath, bleeding disorders, anemia, or frequent infections. Some types may develop into acute myeloid leukemia.
Aplastic anemia (AA) is a severe hematologic condition in which the body fails to make blood cells in sufficient numbers. Blood cells are produced in the bone marrow by stem cells that reside there. Aplastic anemia causes a deficiency of all blood cell types: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
A complete blood count (CBC), also known as a full blood count (FBC), is a set of medical laboratory tests that provide information about the cells in a person's blood. The CBC indicates the counts of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets, the concentration of hemoglobin, and the hematocrit. The red blood cell indices, which indicate the average size and hemoglobin content of red blood cells, are also reported, and a white blood cell differential, which counts the different types of white blood cells, may be included.
Thalassemias are inherited blood disorders that result in abnormal hemoglobin. Symptoms depend on the type of thalassemia and can vary from none to severe. Often there is mild to severe anemia as thalassemia can affect the production of red blood cells and also affect how long the red blood cells live. Symptoms of anemia include feeling tired and having pale skin. Other symptoms of thalassemia include bone problems, an enlarged spleen, yellowish skin, pulmonary hypertension, and dark urine. Slow growth may occur in children. Symptoms and presentations of thalassemia can change over time. Older terms included Cooley's anemia and Mediterranean anemia for beta-thalassemia. These have been superseded by the terms Transfusion-Dependent Thalassemia (TDT) and non-Transfusion-Dependent Thalassemia (NTDT). Patients with TDT require regular transfusions, typically every two to five weeks. TDTs include Beta-thalassemia major, nondeletional HbH disease, survived Hb Bart's disease, and severe HbE/beta-thalassemia.
Pernicious anemia is a disease where not enough red blood cells are produced due to a deficiency of vitamin B12. Those affected often have a gradual onset. The most common initial symptoms are feeling tired and weak. Other symptoms may include shortness of breath, feeling faint, a smooth red tongue, pale skin, chest pain, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, heartburn, numbness in the hands and feet, difficulty walking, memory loss, muscle weakness, poor reflexes, blurred vision, clumsiness, depression, and confusion. Without treatment, some of these problems may become permanent.
Osteomyelitis (OM) is an infection of bone. Symptoms may include pain in a specific bone with overlying redness, fever, and weakness. The long bones of the arms and legs are most commonly involved in children e.g. the femur and humerus, while the feet, spine, and hips are most commonly involved in adults.
Hydroxycarbamide, also known as hydroxyurea, is a medication used in sickle-cell disease, essential thrombocythemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, polycythemia vera, and cervical cancer. In sickle-cell disease it increases fetal hemoglobin and decreases the number of attacks. It is taken by mouth.
Warm antibody autoimmune hemolytic anemia (WAIHA) is the most common form of autoimmune haemolytic anemia. About half of the cases are of unknown cause, with the other half attributable to a predisposing condition or medications being taken. Contrary to cold autoimmune hemolytic anemia which happens in cold temperature (28–31 °C), WAIHA happens at body temperature.
Pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) or erythroblastopenia refers to a type of aplastic anemia affecting the precursors to red blood cells but usually not to white blood cells. In PRCA, the bone marrow ceases to produce red blood cells. There are multiple etiologies that can cause PRCA. The condition has been first described by Paul Kaznelson in 1922.
Hepcidin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the HAMP gene. Hepcidin is a key regulator of the entry of iron into the circulation in mammals.
Hereditary stomatocytosis describes a number of inherited, mostly autosomal dominant human conditions which affect the red blood cell and create the appearance of a slit-like area of central pallor (stomatocyte) among erythrocytes on peripheral blood smear. The erythrocytes' cell membranes may abnormally 'leak' sodium and/or potassium ions, causing abnormalities in cell volume. Hereditary stomatocytosis should be distinguished from acquired causes of stomatocytosis, including dilantin toxicity and alcoholism, as well as artifact from the process of preparing peripheral blood smears.
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is an autoimmune disorder which occurs when antibodies directed against the person's own red blood cells (RBCs) cause them to burst (lyse), leading to an insufficient number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells in circulation (anemia). The lifetime of the RBCs is reduced from the normal 100–120 days to just a few days in serious cases. The intracellular components of the RBCs are released into the circulating blood and into tissues, leading to some of the characteristic symptoms of this condition. The antibodies are usually directed against high-incidence antigens, therefore they also commonly act on allogenic RBCs. AIHA is a relatively rare condition, with an incidence of 5–10 cases per 1 million persons per year in the warm-antibody type and 0.45 to 1.9 cases per 1 million persons per year in the cold-antibody type. Autoimmune hemolysis might be a precursor of later onset systemic lupus erythematosus.
Epoetin alfa, sold under the brand name Epogen among others, is a human erythropoietin produced in cell culture using recombinant DNA technology. Epoetin alfa is an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent. It stimulates erythropoiesis and is used to treat anemia, commonly associated with chronic kidney failure and cancer chemotherapy. Epoetin alfa is developed by Amgen.
Potassium intermediate/small conductance calcium-activated channel, subfamily N, member 4, also known as KCNN4, is a human gene encoding the KCa3.1 protein.
Normocytic anemia is a type of anemia and is a common issue that occurs for men and women typically over 85 years old. Its prevalence increases with age, reaching 44 percent in men older than 85 years. The most common type of normocytic anemia is anemia of chronic disease.
Sickle cell disease (SCD), also simply called sickle cell, is a group of hemoglobin-related blood disorders typically inherited. The most common type is known as sickle cell anemia. It results in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin found in red blood cells. This leads to a rigid, sickle-like shape under certain circumstances. Problems in sickle cell disease typically begin around 5 to 6 months of age. A number of health problems may develop, such as attacks of pain in joints, anemia, swelling in the hands and feet, bacterial infections, dizziness and stroke. Long-term pain may develop as people get older. The average life expectancy in the developed world is 40 to 60 years. It often gets worse with age. All the major organs are affected by sickle cell disease. The liver, heart, kidneys, gallbladder, eyes, bones, and joints also can suffer damage from the abnormal functions of the sickle cells, and their inability to flow through the small blood vessels correctly.
Congenital hemolytic anemia (CHA) is a diverse group of rare hereditary conditions marked by decreased life expectancy and premature removal of erythrocytes from blood flow. Defects in erythrocyte membrane proteins and red cell enzyme metabolism, as well as changes at the level of erythrocyte precursors, lead to impaired bone marrow erythropoiesis. CAH is distinguished by variable anemia, chronic extravascular hemolysis, decreased erythrocyte life span, splenomegaly, jaundice, biliary lithiasis, and iron overload. Immune-mediated mechanisms may play a role in the pathogenesis of these uncommon diseases, despite the paucity of data regarding the immune system's involvement in CHAs.
Voxelotor, sold under the brand name Oxbryta, is a medication used for the treatment of sickle cell disease. Voxelotor is the first hemoglobin oxygen-affinity modulator. Voxelotor has been shown to have disease-modifying potential by increasing hemoglobin levels and decreasing hemolysis indicators in sickle cell patients. It has a safe profile in sickle cell patients and healthy volunteers, without any dose-limiting toxicity. It was developed by Global Blood Therapeutics, a subsidiary of Pfizer.
