Archive for the 'Blood Disorders' Category

The parvovirus B19 that is responsible for the development of viral infection “fifth disease,” also known as erythema infectiosum, can result in a wide range of severe conditions in people with chronic blood disorders, such as sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell disease is a rare blood disorder where hemoglobin S, a blood component that helps RBC to carry oxygen is affected and causes the red blood cells to change shape.

How does fifth disease affect patients with chronic blood disorders?

Patients with underlying sickle cell disease who become infected with the parvovirus are at high risk for aplastic crisis.

This is because the fifth disease virus infects erythroid cells, the cells of the erythrocytic (red blood cells) series of bone marrow and interferes with the production of red blood cells (RBC) as they mature and differentiated all along the erythroid lineage.

The cessation of red blood cells production lasts for about ten days. The condition is harmless and not a problem in patients that are otherwise healthy. However, people with chronic blood disorders (sickle cell disease, hereditary spherocytosis or thalassemia) can have serious worsening conditions such as transient aplastic crisis.

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With a great advancement in the field of multiple myeloma research, the survival rate has increased in myeloma patients.

Multiple myeloma is an incurable but effectively treatable disease with various treatment options.

How Multiple Myeloma develops?

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow. Plasma cells produce antibodies to fight against foreign bodies. Multiple myeloma develops due to an uncontrolled growth of plasma cells in the bone marrow. It got its name because the tumor cells can develop in multiple bone marrow locations in the body.

It is estimated that, in the United States, about 15000 people are with multiple myeloma. It is slightly more common in men than in women.

Multiple Myeloma - Treatment Options

Treating myeloma is a complex process, as several conditions must be taken into consideration: patient’s overall health, other medical conditions, cancer status, previous cancer regimens, and its result.

Chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation, Thalomid (thalidomide), Velcade (bortezomib), and Zometa (zoledronic acid) are currently available treatment options for multiple myeloma.

Chemotherapy:

Bleeding after injury is a common experience for everyone, but for some bleeding occurs excessively and blood doesn’t clot properly due to a bleeding disorder called hemophilia.

A hemophiliac has a tendency to bleed excessively and clot the blood improperly.

Inadequate or lack of one of the blood clotting proteins (called factors) in the blood leads to the development of hemophilia. It primarily affects males.

As the genes that are responsible for producing blood clotting factors are found on the X chromosome, males having only one X chromosome are more vulnerable to the development of hemophilia.

Normally, females have two X chromosomes and males have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. So, in females, if the factors producing gene on one X chromosome doesn’t work then the other X chromosome can do the task.

However, in males, if the X chromosome carries the abnormal hemophilia gene then they certainly develop the hemophilia bleeding disorder.

Hemophilia can be of several types depending up on the deficiency of the blood clotting factor. The most common hemophilia forms are hemophilia A and hemophilia B.

Leukemia is a condition in which the bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells and these cells are called leukemia cells.

Normally, blood cells will form in the bone marrow, a soft material in the center of bones.

The blood cells will get matured in the bone marrow from immature blood cells called blasts or stem cells forming different types of blood cells and each type has its own function.

They include red blood cells, which carries oxygen to the tissues, white blood cells, which helps to fight infections, and platelets, which forms clotting of the blood to prevent blood loss. These matured blood cells will move into the blood vessels.

Leukemia is classified into two forms, acute and chronic. Further, these diseases are classified into lymphocytic and myelogenous. Combining this, there are four major different forms of leukemia. They include acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Depending on the size of the tumor and spreading of the cancer to different organs of the body such as liver, spleen, etc, there are different stages given to the cancer (stage I, II, III, and IV). Also, there are different staging systems for different types of chronic leukemia and for some types there is no staging system at all.

Lymphoma can develop in any part of the body including lymph nodes, bone marrow, spleen, blood or other organs.

Lymphoma is a group of diseases in which the cells of the immune system become cancerous and begin to divide and multiply in a lymph node in an uncontrolled manner.

AIDS related lymphoma:

AIDS related lymphoma is a disease in which malignant cells form in the lymph system of your body if you have acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is caused by HIV, which attacks and weakens the immune system of the body. Therefore, your immune system will be unable to fight infections and diseases that attack your body.

If you have HIV, you have an increased risk of developing infections, lymphoma and other types of cancers. Lymphomas are divided into hodgkin’s and non-hodgkin’s lymphoma. Both types of lymphomas can occur if you have AIDS, but non-hodgkin’s lymphoma is common.

AIDS related lymphoma are divided into three types: diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, B-cell immunoblastic lymphoma and small non-cleaved cell lymphoma. If you have AIDS related lymphoma, the possible signs you can see include fever, weight loss and night sweats.

Your kidneys are the important organs that perform many functions to keep your blood clean and chemically balanced.

They play an important role in keeping your blood pressure in a healthy range, and blood pressure in turn can affect your kidneys’ health.

High blood pressure can damage your kidneys.

How High blood pressure can damage your kidneys?

Your heart works harder with high blood pressure and it can damage blood vessels throughout your body. Removal of wastes and extra fluids from your body will be stopped when blood vessels in your kidneys are damaged.

Extra fluid which is not removed from blood vessels can raise the blood pressure more. Hypertension is a leading cause of kidney problem, also called as end stage renal disease (ESRD). When your kidney fails, kidney transplant or dialysis is needed.

High blood pressure or hypertension can permanently damage tiny blood vessels in the nephrons of the kidneys. The damage keeps your kidneys from working as well as they should over time. If blood pressure is high, the damage becomes worse and functions of the kidney will continue to drop.

Damaged kidneys increase the level of blood pressure. If your kidneys are healthy, they can control your blood pressure.

As many as 50 percent of overweight men and women with high blood pressure may have hypertension as a result of being overweight, researchers reported today at the American Heart Association’s 61st Annual Fall Conference of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research.Researchers in Italy found that about 50 percent of overweight, hypertensive adults, ranging in age from 29 to 65 years, achieved normal body weight and blood pressure after six months of treatment with a reduced-calorie diet.

For related information on high blood pressure and over weight, visit:

http://www.eurekalert.org

Over weight adults have high blood pressure than normal weight people. With high blood pressure and obesity, cardiovascular risk increases by increasing LDL cholesterol. According to the research, obesity increased cardiac output and blood volume and arterial resistance.

Obesity leads to high secretion of insulin in trying to reduce the concentration of excess sugar in blood. The secretion of this insulin is high compared to non-obese people. The insulin secreted by pancreas is responsible for many modifications in your body [Gastric bypass surgery to reduce obesity].

The secreted insulin leads to thickening of vessels which is responsible for increase in rigidity, thus increasing your hypertension. Because of the increase in secretion of adrenalin, cardiac output is increased.

Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in berries, nuts and leaves of plants. Caffeine is found mostly in tea or coffee products. Caffeine increases the central nervous system activity, which makes you feel awakened, alert and focused. Due to the increased activity of central nervous system, blood vessels constrict and increase blood pressure, which alter the supply of blood to the heart.

As caffeine is a stimulant, high blood pressure can be suspected. Long term caffeine intake is associated with increased blood pressure in adolescents that increases the risk of hypertension.

Even children and young kids are getting high blood pressure.

It is being diagnosed in more and more children.

Five percent children are suffering from high blood pressure, a condition in which blood vessels and heart overwork.

High blood pressure in children is caused due to many factors such as overweight, kidney problems, intake of salt and other illnesses.

The levels of hypertension will be different for children compared to adults.

Adult hypertension levels will be standard where as kid’s blood pressure readings are measured according to gender, age and height.

Whole grains are good sources of fiber and other important nutrients such as potassium, magnesium and selenium. Whole grains include germ, bran and endosperm which contain valuable nutrients. Germ is a part from which a new plant sprouts and is a concentrated source of thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin E, zinc and iron. The germ also contains protein and fat.

Bran forms the outer layer of seed and is a rich source of thiamin, niacin, magnesium, riboflavin, iron, zinc and phosphorus. The endosperm is also called as kernel, make up the bulk of the seed. Endosperm contains most of grain’s protein and carbohydrates and little amount of minerals and vitamins.