According to MedLine Plus (www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bloodandblooddisorders.ht

Question

According to MedLine Plus (www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bloodandblooddisorders.html), blood is living tissue made up of liquid and solids. The liquid part, called plasma, is made of water, salts and protein. Over half of the blood is plasma. The solid part of blood contains red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Red blood cells deliver oxygen from the lungs to tissues and organs. (Think of the importance of getting blood to the cardiac muscle in an MI, for example). White blood cells fight infection and are part of the body's defense system. Platelets help blood to clot. Bone marrow, the spongy material inside the bones, makes new blood cells. Blood cells constantly die and the body makes new ones. Red blood cells live about 120 days, platelets 6 days and white cells less than a day. There are many types of blood disorders. Blood has many components, so many things can go wrong!

List and describe several blood disorders, Discuss what causes the diseases you have listed, and describe what treatments might be used to combat them. Include link to sources.

Explanation / Answer

There are several diseases affecting the blood, they can be categorized as follows.

1. Diseases affecting blood plasma

2. Diseases affecting white blood cells

3. Diseases affecting platelets

4. Diseases affecting red blood cells.

Some of the diseases include aplastic anemia, hemolytic anemia, megloblastic anemia, pernicious anemia, leukemia, hemophilia, sickle cell anaemia, malaria, multiple myeloma, lymphoma, etc.

Aplastic anemia: Aplastic anemia is a disease; in which deficiency of all types of blood cells occur due to bone marrow failure. The cause of disease is generally unknown (may be genetic in most o the cases), but exposure to some chemicals (eg: benzene) that depress bone marrow can also cause aplastic anemia. Treatment includes bone marrow transplantation, antithymocyte globulin and immune-suppressants.

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