Clinical Terminology | Blood Pathologies

Red Blood Cells
—Anemia – blood has abnormally low oxygen carrying capacity
Causes:
–insufficient # of RBC’s
–hemorrhagic anemias – blood loss
–hemolytic anemias – RBC’s ruptured
–aplastic anemias – destruction of red bone marrow
–decreased hemoglobin content
–iron deficiency anemia
-microcytes – small pale RBC’s
–pernicious anemia – B12 deficiency usually due to lack of intrinsic factor
-macrocytes – large pale RBC’s
–abnormal hemoglobin – genetic
–sickle cell anemia
–thalassemias  



*Polycythemia – increased # of RBC’s

White Blood Cells
—leukocytosis – WBC count over 11,000/mm3
-normal homeostatic response to bacterial / viral invasion
—leukopenia – abnormally low WBC count
—leukemias – cancerous condition of WBC’s
–infectious mononucleosis – “kissing disease”
-caused by Epstein-Barr virus

Hemostasis disorders
—Thromboembolytic disorders – “hemostasis in the wrong places”
-thrombus – blood clot in unbroken blood vessel
-coronary thrombosis – thrombus blocking coronary circulation
-embolus – thrombus that breaks free into circulation
-pulmonary embolus or cerebral embolus
**Aspirin, heparin, and Coumadin = anticoagulants
—Bleeding disorders – anything that interferes with clotting mechanism
–thrombocytopenia – decreased number of platelets (< 50,000 / mm3)
–hemophilias – group of hereditary bleeding disorders
-deficiency of a clotting factor

Clinical Terms
—Hematology – study of blood
—Hematoma – “black and blue mark” — accumulated clotted blood in the tissue
—Septicemia – “blood poisoning” – harmful levels of bacteria or their toxins in the
blood
–emia – (suffix) condition of the blood
ex)lipidemia – high lipid content in blood
–hema-, hemato-, hemo- – (prefix) blood
ex)hemolysis – splitting of blood cells