Hematology

Hematology

225px A chromophobe renal cell carcinoma viewed on a hematoxylin & eosin stained slide.
System	Blood
Subdivisions	Hematological oncology
Significant diseases	Malaria, Thalassemia, Leukemia, Clotting disorders, Anemia
Significant tests	Blood film, Coagulation tests, Bone marrow aspirate
Specialist	Hematologist

Hematology, also spelled haematology (from the Greek αἷμα, haima "blood," and -λoγία), is the branch of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to the blood. Hematology includes the study of etiology. It involves treating diseases that affect the production of blood and its components, such as blood cells, hemoglobin, blood proteins, bone marrow, platelets, blood vessels, spleen, and the mechanism of coagulation. The laboratory work that goes into the study of blood is frequently performed by a medical technologist or medical laboratory scientist. Hematologists also conduct studies in oncology and work with oncologists, people who may specialize only in that field instead of both-the medical treatment of cancer. There are various disorders that people are affected by hematology. A few of these different types of blood conditions that are looked at include anemia, hemophilia, general blood clots, bleeding disorders,etc. As for related blood cancers such as leukemia, myeloma, and lymphoma, these are more serious cases that need to be diagnosed.

To begin in this career, hematologists complete a four-year medical degree which is followed by three or four more years, depending on the person, in residency or internship programs. After completion, they further expand their knowledge of hematology by spending two or three more years learning how to experiment, diagnose, and treat blood disorders. When applying for this career, most job openings look for first hand practical experiences in a recognized training program that provides practice in the following: Cause of abnormalities in formation of blood and other disorders, diagnosis of numerous blood related conditions or cancers using experimentation, and the proper care and treatment of patients in the best manner.

Physicians specialized in hematology are known as hematologists or haematologists. Their routine work mainly includes the care and treatment of patients with hematological diseases, although some may also work at the hematology laboratory viewing blood films and bone marrow slides under the microscope, interpreting various hematological test results and blood clotting test results. In some institutions, hematologists also manage the hematology laboratory. Physicians who work in hematology laboratories, and most commonly manage them, are pathologists specialized in the diagnosis of hematological diseases, referred to as hematopathologists or haematopathologists. Hematologists and hematopathologists generally work in conjunction to formulate a diagnosis and deliver the most appropriate therapy if needed. Most may consider hematologists to only diagnose the blood, but that isn't entirely true. Hematologists observe and find the right treatment first, then sit down and deliver the various types of treatments fitted for that particular being. No one being is exactly the same, just as each organism has its individual genes that cause an issue in their blood, each organism has a different reaction to different treatments. It is essential hematologists look in depth and deliver the message immediately with the right diagnostics. Hematology is a distinct subspecialty of internal medicine, separate from but overlapping with the subspecialty of medical oncology. Hematologists may specialize further or have special interests, for example, in:

• treating bleeding disorders such as hemophilia and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
• treating hematological malignancies such as lymphoma and leukemia (cancers)
• treating hemoglobinopathies
• the science of blood transfusion and the work of a blood bank
• bone marrow and stem cell transplantation

Scope

• Blood
  • Venous blood
  • Venipuncture
  • Hematopoiesis
  • Blood tests
  • Cord blood
• Red blood cells
  • Erythropoiesis
  • Erythropoietin
  • Iron metabolism
  • Hemoglobin
  • Glycolysis
  • Pentose phosphate pathway
• White blood cells
• Platelets
• Reticuloendothelial system
  • Bone marrow
  • Spleen
  • Liver
• Lymphatic system
• Blood transfusion
  • Blood plasma
  • Blood bank
  • Blood donors
  • Blood groups
• Hemostasis
  • Coagulation
  • Vitamin K
• Complement system
  • Immunoglobulins

(abnormality of the hemoglobin molecule or of the rate of hemoglobin synthesis)

• Anemias (lack of red blood cells or hemoglobin)
• Hematological malignancies
• Coagulopathies (disorders of bleeding and coagulation)
• ...Sickle Cell Anemia
• ...thalassemia

Treatments

Treatments include:

• Diet advice
• Oral medication - tablets or liquid medicines
• Anticoagulation therapy
• Intramuscular injections (for example, Vitamin B12 injections)
• Blood transfusion (for anemia)
• Venesection also known as therepeutic phlebotomy (for iron overload or polycythemia)
• Bone marrow transplant (for example, for leukemia)
• All kinds of anti-cancer chemotherapy
• Radiotherapy (for example, for cancer)

Training

Hematologist

Occupation
Names	Medical Specialist
Occupation type	Specialty
Activity sectors	Medicine
Description
Education required	Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) Medical residency Fellowship (medicine)

Alphabetical lists

• Blood disorders
• Hematologists
• Hematology topics

Sources

• http://www.austincc.edu/mlt/clin1/hematology_review1.pdf
• www.news-medical.net?health/What-is-Hematology.aspx

External links

• Major milestones in history of hematology (PDF)