Blood disorders and blood-related terms
- Acute
- Sudden onset of symptoms or disease.
- Anemia
- A condition of the blood caused by a deficiency of red blood cells.
- Antibody
- A protein substance normally formed by the body to help defend it against disease. Excessive production of an abnormal antibody can cause disease.
- Antigen
- A protein that prompts the body to produce antibodies.
- Anti-inflammatory
- A medication that helps to reduce inflammation of tissue in the body.
- Autoimmune disorder
- Diseases caused by the immune system producing antibodies against the tissue of its own body.
- Basophils
- A type of white blood cell that plays a special role in allergic reactions.
- B-lymphocytes
- A type of lymphocyte, or white blood cell, used by the immune system. B-cells secrete antibodies into the body fluid to fight foreign substances that cause infections, disease, or poisoning.
- Biological therapy
- A treatment that stimulates the body's own immune system to fight cancer or blood disorders.
- Blood count
- A blood test used to determine the number of the various types of blood cells.
- Blood transfusions
- Infusion of blood or blood components directly into the bloodstream to remedy blood loss or to treat anemia.
- Blood-clotting factors
- Components of plasma that are involved in the clotting of blood.
- Bone marrow
- The spongy substance in the inner cavity of bone which produces red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
- Bone marrow biopsy
- A test where a needle is inserted into the bone of the hip or sternum (breastbone) to obtain a marrow sample for microscopic study and examination.
- Chemotherapy
- A treatment using medicines.
- Deciliter
- 1/10 of a liter.
- Eosinophils
- A type of white blood cell that plays a role in allergic reactions to foreign substances.
- Erythrocytes (red blood cells)
- The cells that carry oxygen.
- Essential thrombocythemia
- A disorder that causes an overproduction of platelets.
- External beam radiation therapy
- Treating cancer and other disorders with the use of radiation. Sometimes it is called radiation therapy.
- Extramedullary hematopoiesis
- Formation of blood cells outside of the bone marrow, such as in the spleen.
- Femtoliters
- 1/1,000,000,000,000,000 of a liter (this is very small!).
- Genetic disorder
- A disorder passed down in genes through generations of a family.
- Gout
- A painful inflammation in the joints, usually caused by an excessive amount of uric acid in the body.
- Gram
- A unit of mass, approximately equivalent to the weight of a paperclip.
- Hematologist
- A doctor who specializes in the study of blood and bone marrow.
- Hormonal therapy
- A treatment that uses the body's hormones to treat cancer. This can be done by medication, surgical removal of the hormone-producing glands, or radiation therapy.
- Idiopathic myelofibrosis (MF)
- A disorder that causes the bone marrow to gradually be replaced with fibrous scar tissue and the spleen or liver to become enlarged.
- Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
- A disorder that causes the immune system to make antibodies that destroy platelets, a type of blood cell. When the platelets are destroyed, a person is more susceptible to easy bruising and bleeding.
- Immune System
- A complex group of cells and substances that protect the body from infection and disease.
- Immunotherapy
- A treatment that stimulates the body's immune system to fight cancer.
- Intravenous
- Into a vein.
- Leukocytes
- White blood cells.
- Liter
- Approximately equal to a quart.
- Lymphocytes
- A type of white blood cell. Three important kinds of lymphocytes are T-cells, B-cells, and Natural Killer Cells. T-cells attack and destroy virus-infected cells, foreign tissue and cancer cells; B-cells produce antibodies that help destroy foreign substances; Natural Killer cells destroy cancer cells and virus-infected cells.
- Microangiopathy
- The clotting of blood in the small blood vessels of organs.
- Microliter
- 1/100,000 of a liter. In a blood test, a microliter is a single drop of blood.
- Monoclonal antibody
- Monoclonal antibodies are a type of biological therapy produced in the laboratory. In ITP and macroglobulinemia, monoclonal antibodies are used to decrease the number of cells producing inappropriate antibodies.
- Monocytes
- A type of white blood cell.
- Neutrophils
- A mature white blood cell that fights bacterial infections. Neutrophils are also called segmented neutrophils or segs.
- Petechiae
- Small areas of pinpoint bleeding on the skin. This can be due to low platelet counts.
- Phlebotomy
- The removal of blood from a vein.
- Picograms
- 1/100,000,000,000 of a gram (this is very small!).
- Plasma
- The fluid part of blood.
- Plasma exchange
- In plasma exchange, blood is filtered through a machine that removes plasma and replaces it with plasma from healthy blood donors.
- Plasmapheresis
- During this procedure, blood is filtered through a machine that removes the antibody-containing plasma and replaces it with a substitute. Plasmapheresis can be used to temporarily reduce the amount of antibodies in the blood.
- Plateletpheresis
- A blood bank procedure that removes platelets from the blood.
- Platelets (Thrombocytes)
- A blood cell that assists in blood clotting. Patients are at risk to bleed if the platelet count is less than 50,000.
- Polycythemia vera (PV)
- A type of blood disorder that causes an excess of red blood cells. Some patients may also have an increased number of white blood cells and platelets.
- Radioactive
- Giving off high-dose energy in the form of particles. Radioactive substances can be used in the treatment of some blood disorders.
- Red blood cells (Erythrocytes)
- The blood cells that carry oxygen and are responsible for the red color of the blood.
- Splenectomy
- Surgical removal of the spleen.
- Thrombocytes (Platelets)
- Cells used to make the blood clot.
- Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP)
- A disorder of multiple clots in small blood vessels of many organs of the body.
- Ultraviolet light
- Light that is beyond the visible spectrum.
- Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia
- A rare disease that starts in the bone marrow and causes a rapid growth of B-lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell.
- White blood cells
- Blood cells used by the immune system to fight bacteria and viruses.