There are many different types of blood disorder people can be affected by. Some are caused by inheriting certain traits from family members, other may be caused by a persons nutrition or vitamin intake. If someone knows that certain blood disorders run in their family they should go to their doctor and voice their concerns to their physician. The following scenarios have different symptoms and situations.
Amy, a 4-year-old Caucasian female, has been complaining of being tired all the time. She is pale and a picky eater. Her mother is a single mom with a small budget to feed a large family. Amy only eats pasta, breads, and hot dogs, and drinks only artificial fruit punch. Based on Amys symptoms and diet I believe she is suffering from Pernicious Anemia, also known as Primary Anemia and B12 Anemia (WebMD, 2010). This is because Amys symptoms coincide with the symptoms of the disorder, which are weakness, pale skin, and fatigue (WebMD, 2010). Pernicious Anemia is generally caused by an inadequate diet. Since she only eats a few things, she has become B12 deficient. B12 is a major part in producing red blood cells, which carry oxygen to different parts of the body(WebMD, 2010). Amy physician can easily diagnose her with blood work. Treatment is also fairly simple, she would need to take B12 supplements and improve her diet, then her symptoms would be resolved.
Marcus is a 5-year-old African-American male who has just moved to New York City, and is visiting his new pediatrician for a kindergarten physical. His mom tells the nurse that she carries the ???trait??? and wants Marcus screened for it. Based on Marcuss situation and from what his mother said I believe Marcus could have Sickle Cell Anemia. Sickle Cell Anemia is considered to be a genetic disorder which is common in African Americans, Hispanics, Mediterraneans, and people of Indian decent(MayoClinic, 2009). Since Marcus is African American and his mother said she carried the train this diagnosis would make sense. Sickle Cell Anemia is when your red blood cells are crescent, or moon shaped instead of being round(MayoClinic, 2009). They are also rigid instead of having smooth edges. This causes the red blood cells to get stuck in small blood vessels, which then causes your body to not get the oxygen it needs(MayoClinic, 2009). The blood cells also have a shorter life of 10-20 days versus regular red blood cells which have a life of about 120 days (MayoClinic, 2009). This causes a chronic shortage of red blood cells. The symptoms of Sickle Cell Anemia may include hand-foot syndrome, frequent infections, delayed growth, vision problems, and jaundice in newborns, as well as episodes of pain(MayoClinic, 2009). Blood work can be done to diagnose this disease. In the united states it is done when children are born to check for the defective Hemoglobin S, which is the underlying cause of sickle cell(MayoClinic, 2009). The treatments for sickle cell are bone marrow transplant, blood transfusions and medications to manage the disease.
Richard has noted over the past several weeks that he is having more bruises, or ecchymosis, all over his body. After coughing this morning, he noticed tiny red marks all around his eyes. Based on Richards symptoms I believe he is suffering from Hemophilia, this is because he is a male and has been suffering from spontaneous bruising. Hemophilia is when there is a defective gene that interferes with the bodys ability to produce clotting factors which stops people from bleeding when they are injured (eMedicineHealth, 2010). The symptoms of hemophilia are bleeding into joints, blood in urine, and excessive bleeding after injury and bruising(eMedicineHealth, 2010). Blood work can be done to diagnose this disease. They would look for clotting factors within the blood(eMedicineHealth, 2010). The treatment for Hemophilia is replacement therapy(eMedicineHealth, 2010). This is when they replace the give the person with the disease clotting factors so their blood will clot properly. Medications can also be given to increase the bodys production of clotting factors.
Each of these blood disorders can be managed with proper medication, therapy and care. Make sure your doctor is aware of your concerns so the proper blood test can be performed so that treatment can be started if necessary. Since some of these blood disorders are genetic disorders, you should be aware of your family history and if anyone in your family has been suffering from any of these disease.
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