Diseases of the Formed Elements

Diseases of Erythrocytes

A.  Anemia is a deficiency of red blood cells or low hemoglobin.  It results in a reduced ability of the blood to transport oxygen.  Since all of our cells depend on oxygen for survival, anemia can produce a wide range of problems for the body.

Symptoms Common to all Anemia’s

  1. Pallor
    2.  Dyspnea – shortness of breath
    3.  Weakness and fatigue

Types of Anemia

  1. Iron deficiency anemia is caused by an insufficient amount of iron in the diet or blood loss.  It occurs most commonly in women of childbearing age due to menses and individuals with a chronic gastrointestinal bleeding.
  2. Pernicious anemia is a condition produced when a person’s immune system destroys cells in the stomach lining that produce intrinsic factor.  Intrinsic factor is needed to absorb vitamin B12 from food.  Lack of this vitamin reduces red blood cell production.
  3. Sickle cell anemia is a hereditary anemia found in people whose ancestors originated in equatorial Africa.  Abnormal hemoglobin is formed causing red blood cells to change shape (sickle) and be destroyed in the spleen in great numbers.
  4. Thalassemia is a hereditary anemia found in people who originated from Mediterranean countries.
  5. Hemolytic disease of the new born (HDN) is a condition that can develop when a fetus is RH+ and the mother is Rh-.  Antibodies from the mother can cross the placenta and attack the fetal red blood cells.  This can lead to brain damage, heart failure and respiratory distress in the baby after birth.

B.  Polycythemia is a condition in which there is an overproduction of red blood cells by the bone marrow or an increased thickening of the blood due to dehydration.

Types of Polycythemia

  1. Primary – the bone marrow produces too many red blood cells.  The condition is chronic and there is no cure.  Treatment involves periodically bleeding the patient.  Because the blood is thicker and slower moving there is an increased risk of thrombus formation.
  2. Secondary – red blood cell production increases due to a natural or environmental factor that increases the amount of erythropoietin.  This condition is seen in people living at higher altitudes and in cigarette smokers.
  3. Relative – the result of fluid loss due to burns or increased sweating, vomiting and diarrhea.  These conditions will produce a temporary thickening of the blood which will be reversed with fluid intake.

Diseases of Leukocytes

A.  Leukemia’s are cancers of the tissues that form white blood cells in the bone marrow.

General Symptoms and Signs of Leukemia

  1. Fever
  2. Lymphadenopathy – swollen lymph nodes
  3. Joint pain
  4. Enlarged spleen and lymph nodes
  5. Easy bruising
  6. Hemorrhaging

Types of Leukemia

  1. Myelogenous – origninates in the bone marrow.  Can be acute or chronic.  Acute forms progress rapidly and have a poor prognosis.  Chronic forms progress more slowly and are more susceptible to treatment.
  2. Lymphocytic – originates in lymphoid tissue.  Has acute and chronic forms.

B.  Malignant Lymphoma – several malignancies of lymphoid tissues.  Viruses have thought to be the causative factor.

1.      Hodgkin's lymphoma - also known as Hodgkin's disease, is a type of lymphoma first described by Thomas Hodgkin in 1832. Hodgkin's lymphoma is characterized clinically by the orderly spread of disease from one lymph node group to another.  Hodgkin's lymphoma was one of the first cancers to be rendered curable by combination chemotherapy.

2.      Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) describes a group of cancers arising from lymphocytes. It is distinct from Hodgkin lymphoma in its pathologic features and treatment. The non-Hodgkin lymphomas are a diverse group of diseases with varying courses, treatments, and prognoses.  Aggressive lymphomas, also known as intermediate and high-grade lymphomas, tend to grow and spread quickly and cause severe symptoms. Indolent lymphomas, also referred to as low-grade lymphomas, tend to grow quite slowly and cause fewer symptoms.

C.  Non-malignant disorder of leukocytes

Infectious Mononucleosis – due to Epstein Barr herpes virus.  It results in an abnormal increase in atypical lymphocytes that resemble monocytes.  Symptoms include mild fever, fatigue, sore throat and swollen lymph nodes and spleen which is subject to rupture.  The treatment is usually bed rest.