Essay on Hematology

There are two types of hemochromatosis, primary and secondary. Primary hemochromatosis is a genetic disorder passed down through families. It occurs at birth. People with this condition absorb too much iron through their digestive tract. Iron builds up in the body, especially the liver. You are more likely to get this disease if someone else in your family has or had the condition. Secondary hemochromatosis is due to other blood-related disorders such as thalassemia or certain anemia’s. Sometimes it occurs in people with long-term alcoholism and other health conditions.

The first disease Moalem discusses, hemochromatosis, is a hereditary disorder that he himself lives with. It causes excess iron buildup throughout the body, damaging “the joints, the major organs, and overall body chemistry” (p. 13). Hemochromatosis can lead to “liver failure, heart failure, diabetes, arthritis, infertility, psychiatric disorders[, ...] cancer” (p. 13) and, in the end, death. Although it is more common in some communities than others, today the low-penetrance disease only manifests in 1 in 200 people.

This is often a side effect of medications, but it is not a reflection of increased bilirubin.

Hemochromatosis is a disease with signs and symptoms that are very “vague” and can be taken as symptoms for another disease. These nonspecific symptoms are usually the early signs of the disease. These symptoms are joint pain, fatigue, weakness, weight loss, stomach pain, impotence, early menopause and/or possible skin bronzing. Some symptoms may be more severe such as diabetes and heart failure. Yet, not all symptoms show which does make it harder to diagnose.

| This sleep disorder is most common in women, persons with rheumatoid arthritis, people who are iron deficient or persons who are in kidney failure. It affects less than 4% of the population.

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, is the disease that affects children the most and because of the abnormal cells that are immature white blood cells which cannot help the body fight infections cause children with the disease to often get infections and have fevers (National Cancer Institute, 2002, p. 1). The symptoms that the patient with ALL may have depend on the number of abnormal cells of the patient where exactly the cells collect. Children patients with ALL have low amounts of healthy red blood cells and platelets, which cause less oxygen to be carried through the body because of the lack of red blood cells. Patients at times may look pale, feel weak, and tired causing bleeding and bruising very easily because of their lack of enough platelets. This condition is called anemia. Anemia is very much common in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Fever, fatigue, bone or joint pain, tiny red spots under the skin called petechiae are a couple of symptoms that the disease ALL has. Headaches with, or without vomiting also may occur if patient happens to have abnormal cells collecting in the brain or spinal cord (National Cancer Institute, 2002 para. 2).

Hemochromatosis, also known as iron overload. Iron in the body is an important component of hemoglobin, the substance in the blood that carries oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body. Too much iron in the body leads to an overload that can damage organs like the pancreas, liver kidneys etc. During the 14th century, the Black Death or Bubonic plague was a bacterial disease caused by Yersinia pestis, an iron hungry bacteria. During the time, people with Hemochromatosis were “immortal” from the plague because the bacteria thrive on iron and there was none present because it was absorbed by the cells in the body of the host.

Methemoglobinemia is an uncommon but possible reason for cyanosis. Methemoglobinemia is significant because the disease is fairly rare and consequently most physicians do not consider it as a cause when diagnosing a patient with cyanosis. Regrettably, patients often get misdiagnosed and sometimes treated for the wrong disorder as a result. A two fold dilemma occurs when the patient is treated for an incorrect disorder. The first part of the dilemma includes the patient experiencing all of the negative side effects of the wrong treatment, and gaining no benefit. The second part of the dilemma is that the patient’s actual medical condition is not being treated, and is getting worse

A multitude of organs and body systems are affected by this disorder. When the demand for oxygen delivery from the blood exceeds the available blood supply for a particular organ, the organ becomes ischemic. Increased perfusion to the brain, kidneys and other major organs can cause them to fail. As time progresses all of the body’s systems are impaired in one way or another. [Medicinenet (2009) p2]

Nhyan syndrome also known as Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (LNS) and juvenile gout is an inherited rare disorder. Lesch-Nyhan syndrome is caused by an inefficient amount of enzyme hypoaxantine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) caused by mutations in the HPRT gene which is located on the X chromosome. LNS was clinically characterized and first recognized by pediatrician William Nyhan and medical student Michael Lesch, their findings were published in 1964.

A machine download indicates some residual sleep apnoea with an Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index of 6.5 events/hr and some of these events are being recorded as central in nature.

G6PD deficiency is a genetic disease. G6PD protects red blood cells from potentially harmful substances that can accumulate when a person takes certain medications or when the immune system is fighting an infection. G6PD also helps the body process carbohydrates and turn them into energy.A deficiency in G6PD can cause hemolytic anemia, usually after exposure to certain triggers such as medications, foods, or even infections. Without enough G6PD to protect them, Red Blood Cellss can be damaged or destroyed. Hemolytic anemia occurs when the body sustains too much damage for the bone marrow (soft interior of bones which prodeuces red blood cells) to repair.

Urine cytology: Examining a urine sample under a microscope may reveal cancer cells that could come from the bladder, ureters or kidneys ("Leukemia Home Page - National Cancer Institute").

Leukemia is something that we hear about a lot. I believe that people do not understand exactly what leukemia is and how dangerous it can be, I chose this topic to try to help them understand. In this paper I will explain what leukemia is and what treatments you can choose from to treat the cancer.

Blood chemistry or blood test is identifying the different levels of chemical ingredients found in the blood. The analysis of these substances provides clues to a patient’s condition and the functioning of the major body systems such as, blood sugar levels, liver functions, essential nutrients etc. This helps doctors in diagnosing the patient’s conditions much easier and quicker.