Blood Disorders

Also called: Hematologic diseases

To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript.

On this page

Basics

Summary
Start Here
Symptoms
Diagnosis and Tests
Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

Living With
Related Issues
Specifics
Genetics

See, Play and Learn

No links available

Summary

Your 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 your blood is plasma. The solid part of your blood contains red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

Blood disorders affect one or more parts of the blood and prevent your blood from doing its job. They can be acute or chronic. Many blood disorders are inherited. Other causes include other diseases, side effects of medicines, and a lack of certain nutrients in your diet.

Types of blood disorders include

Platelet disorders, excessive clotting, and bleeding problems, which affect how your blood clots
Anemia, which happens when your blood does not carry enough oxygen to the rest of your body
Cancers of the blood, such as leukemia and myeloma
Eosinophilic disorders, which are problems with one type of white blood cell.

Start Here

Blood (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Available in Spanish

Symptoms

Symptoms of Blood Disorders (Merck & Co., Inc.)
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Polycythemia Vera? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Diagnosis and Tests

Blood Tests (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Hemoglobinopathy Evaluation (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
How Is Lymphocytopenia Diagnosed? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
How Is Polycythemia Vera Diagnosed? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
MedlinePlus: Blood Count Tests (National Library of Medicine) Available in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

How Is Lymphocytopenia Treated? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
How Is Polycythemia Vera Treated? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Living With

Living with Lymphocytopenia (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Living with Polycythemia Vera (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Related Issues

How Does Lupus Affect the Blood? (Lupus Foundation of America)
What Causes Lymphocytopenia? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
What Causes Polycythemia Vera? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Specifics

Eosinophilia (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Heavy Chain Diseases (Merck & Co., Inc.)
Hemoglobin C, S-C, and E Diseases (Merck & Co., Inc.)
High Red Blood Cell Count (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Low White Blood Cell Count (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Lymphocytosis (High Lymphocyte Count) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Neutropenia (Low Neutrophil Count) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH) (Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation)
Plasma Cell Disorders (Merck & Co., Inc.)
Polycythemia Vera (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
White Blood Cell Disorders (Merck & Co., Inc.)

Genetics

Genetics Home Reference: 8p11 myeloproliferative syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: aceruloplasminemia (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: autosomal recessive congenital methemoglobinemia (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: chorea-acanthocytosis (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: congenital plasminogen deficiency (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: cyclic neutropenia (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Diamond-Blackfan anemia (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: dyserythropoietic anemia and thrombocytopenia (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: familial erythrocytosis (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: hereditary spherocytosis (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: McLeod neuroacanthocytosis syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: methemoglobinemia, beta-globin type (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: neuroferritinopathy (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: polycythemia vera (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: severe congenital neutropenia (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: X-linked sideroblastic anemia (National Library of Medicine)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Hematologic Diseases (National Institutes of Health)

Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Reference Desk

Hematology Glossary (American Society of Hematology)

Find an Expert

Find a Hematologist (American Society of Hematology)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Patient Handouts

Blood differential Available in Spanish
Blood smear Available in Spanish
CBC Available in Spanish
Hematocrit Available in Spanish
Hemoglobin Available in Spanish
Low white blood cell count and cancer Available in Spanish
RBC count Available in Spanish
RBC indices Available in Spanish
WBC count Available in Spanish