Hematology is a branch of medicine that studies blood and disorders of the blood. With hematology, doctors can diagnose and treat various blood disorders, such as anemia, blood clotting disorders, hemophilia, and leukemia.
Doctors who study the science of hematology are known as hematologists. A hematologist has the competence to diagnose and treat patients with blood disorders.
The Importance of Knowing Blood Conditions
Blood plays an important role in carrying nutrients and oxygen throughout the body and for transporting metabolic waste products, such as carbon dioxide, so that they can be removed from the body.
In addition, blood also plays a role in fighting infection, destroying foreign objects or substances that enter the body, killing cancer cells, and stopping bleeding when an injury occurs.
When the amount of blood is too much or too little, or when the function of the blood is disturbed, problems can occur in the overall health of the body. Blood disorders or hematological disorders can occur due to several things, such as certain diseases, side effects of drugs, or certain nutritional deficiencies.
The treatment required for blood diseases varies, depending on the condition of the blood and its severity.
Various Blood Components and Hematological Disorders
Hematological disorders or disorders of the blood can occur in several main components of blood, namely:
blood cellsRed
Red blood cells function to carry oxygen to body tissues and transport carbon dioxide to be removed from the respiratory tract. Disorders of red blood cells that most often occur are anemia or a lack of red blood cell counts. This condition generally occurs when the body lacks iron, folate, or vitamin B12, as well as chronic bleeding.
Mild anemia is often asymptomatic, but this condition can get worse if not treated immediately. When severe anemia has occurred, a person can experience symptoms of fatigue, pale skin, shortness of breath, and chest palpitations.
White blood cell
White blood cells function as part of the immune system whose job is to fight infections, foreign objects, and cancer cells.
Hematological disorders that make the number and function of white blood cells impaired can be caused by bacterial and viral infections, multiple myeloma and myelodysplastic syndromes, bone marrow disorders, and cancers, such as leukemia or blood cancer and lymphoma.
Platelets
This blood component is also known as blood platelets or platelets. Platelets play a role in the process of blood clotting when the body is injured. Therefore, when the body lacks platelets, this can cause bleeding to be difficult to stop.
Conversely, when the number of platelets increases, the body will easily experience blood clots. This condition can be bad for the body because clots or blood clots that form spontaneously can block blood flow.
There are several conditions that can affect the platelet count, including: idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), dengue hemorrhagic fever, leukemia, bone marrow disorders, thrombocytopenia, and thrombocytosis.
Various Functions of Hematology Examination
There are many types of hematological examinations that can be performed. One of them is a complete blood count. In this examination, the blood components to be examined include:
- Hemoglobin
- Hematocrit
- The number or volume of red blood cells
- White blood cell count and white blood cell count
- Platelet count
- erythrocyte sedimentation rate
The main purpose of the hematological examination is to evaluate or assess the number and function of various blood components. Through hematology tests, doctors can also assess the function of blood clotting in the patient's body.
In addition, a hematological examination may also be performed for the following reasons:
- Monitor a person's general health condition
- Detect certain diseases, such as infection, anemia, or abnormalities in the production of blood cells
- Detect blood type when someone wants to donate blood or blood transfusion
- Monitoring the response or success of certain treatments, for example anemia treatment
- Assessing the patient's condition before and after undergoing certain medical procedures, such as surgery
In treating patients, a hematologist can work closely with general practitioners or other specialists, such as internal medicine doctors, oncologists, and clinical pathologists.
Hematology can be applied in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. Hematology examinations or blood tests may be performed as part of a routine health checkup (medical check-up) or diagnostic tests of certain diseases, as well as to monitor disease progression and treatment effectiveness.
The doctor will determine the type of hematological examination that you need to undergo. And after that, you can consult again with your doctor about the results of the examination. If there are abnormalities, the doctor will provide appropriate treatment according to the results of the examination and diagnosis of your disease.