Hematology

 What is hematology: - hematology is the science of blood and blood diseases. In the
medical field, hematology includes the treatment of blood disorders and malignancies,
including types of hemophilia, blood clots, leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and sickle –
cell anemia. Hematology is a branch of internal medicine that deals with physiology,
pathology, etiology, diagnosis, treatment prognosis and prevention of blood related
disorders.
Hematologists focus largely on lymphatic systems and bone marrow and may diagnose
blood count irregularities or platelet irregularities. Hematologists treat organs that are
fed by blood, including lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, and lymphoid tissue.
 Anatomy of blood: - blood is made up of several parts, including red blood cells, white
blood cells and platelets (combined, about 45% of volume) as well as plasma (about 55%
of volume). Red blood cells (also known as RBCs or thrombocytes), which make up
about 45% of whole blood, and count 4.7- 6.1 million (male), 4.2 - 5.4 million (female),
carry oxygen from lungs to the body’s tissue. They also carry carbon dioxide back to the
lungs to be exhaled. They are disc-shaped and produced in the bone marrow. Their
shape comprises large surface area for O2 diffusion, thinness of cell membrane to
enables O2 to diffuse easily and the flexibility of membrane facilitates the transport
function.
White blood cells (also known as WBCs or leukocytes), which are also made in the bone
marrow and counts 4000- 11000, help fight infection. Together with platelets, they
make up less than 1% of whole blood. Platelets (also called thrombocytes) are small,
colorless fragments that stick together and interact with clotting proteins to stop or
prevent bleeding. They are also produced in bone marrow and counts 200.000- 500.000.
Plasma is the yellowish fluid part of the blood. Composed of 92% water, it also contains
7% vital proteins and 1% mineral, Salts, sugars, fats, hormones and vitamins.
 Areas of the study: - Four major areas of study within hematology include
hemoglobinopathy, hematologic malignancies, anemia and coagulopathy.
Hemoglobinopathy is the study of abnormality in the globin chains of hemoglobin
molecules. In addition to sickle cell anemia, thalassemia is part of hemoglobinopathy.
The area of hematologic malignancies is concerned with the blood and lymph nodes.
Myeloma is one type of hematologic malignancy, along with leukemia and lymphoma.
 Hematology tests:- One of the most common hematology tests is the complete blood
count, or CBC. This test is often conducted during a routine exam and detect anemia,
clotting problems, blood cancers, immune system disorders and infections. Other
hematology tests include:-
 Blood chemistry test
 Blood enzyme test
 Blood tests to assess heart disease risk
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 Hematology

 Origin of blood cells: - All the cells in the peripheral blood have a finite life spans and
thus must be renewed continuously, the process of regenerating blood cells are called
hematopoiesis and the cells responsible for this process are called Hematopoietic stem
cells (HSCs) which are capable of self – renewal and differentiation into all blood cell types.
During adult life, they reside in the bone marrow in a quiescent state. By contrast, in the
growing embryo hematopoiesis is sequentially found in several developmental places like
liver and spleen.
 The importance of blood: - Blood is required to keep us alive. It is the most important
transport medium in the human body, it performs many functions inside the body
including :-
 Providing oxygen to the tissues
 Providing supplements (food), for example, glucose, amino acids and fatty acids
 Evacuating wastes, for example, carbon dioxide, urea and lactic corrosive
 Defiance against infections.
 Clotting of the blood
 Dispatcher capacities, including the vehicle of hormones and the motioning of tissue
harm
 Directing body pH
 Temperature regulation
 Water balance

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