Blood Cell Disorders

What Is Vitamin C? Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid or ascorbate, is an essential water soluble vitamin. Fresh supplies of vitamin C are required every day to perform vital roles throughout the body among which are the production of ...

What Is Iron Deficiency Anemia? Iron deficiency anemia is a blood cell disorder that is characterized by formation of small, pale red blood cells, causing tissue hypoxia. Hypoxia is the inability to meet the demands of the body for oxygen. ...

What Is Iron? Iron is an essential mineral that is required for normal body function. Almost two-thirds of iron in the body is found in hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to tissues. Smaller amounts of ...

What Is Folic Acid Or Folate Deficiency Anemia? Folic acid deficiency anemia, also called folate deficiency anemia, is a macrocytic anemia characterized by defective DNA synthesis of red blood cells that results from a lack of folate in the body. ...

What Is Idiopathic Pulmonary Hemosiderosis? Pulmonary hemosiderosis (IPH) is a rare and severe pulmonary syndrome characterized by a triad of recurrent episodes of alveolar hemorrhage (bleeding into air sacs), hemoptysis (coughing blood), and iron deficiency anemia. Q: What is the prognosis ...

What Are Abnormal Blood Values In Childhood? Abnormal blood studies in childhood are lab results showing blood abnormalities for blood cells and blood components. What Are Abnormal Blood Values In Childhood in Celiac Disease?

What Is Vitamin B12 Deficiency Anemia? Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia is a megaloblastic anemia that is characterized by defective DNA synthesis of red blood cells due to a lack of vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is essential for normal blood cell formation. ...

What Is Refractory Iron Deficiency Anemia In Childhood? Refractory iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a microcytic (small cell) type anemia. It is characterized by formation of abnormally small, pale red blood cells and iron depletion, or inadequate iron content in ...

What Is Severe Iron Deficiency Anemia In Pregnancy? Severe iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy is characterized by abnormal formation of small, pale red blood cells that impair the ability of the fetus to obtain adequate oxygen for proper growth and ...

What Is Easy Bruising? Ecchymosis, or easy bruising, is a feature of impaired secondary hemostasis (blood clotting) characterized by subcutaneous bleeding (under the skin) in response to light trauma. Q: What causes easy bruising? A: Easy bruising is the direct ...

What Is Transient Erythroblastopenia? Transient erythroblastopenia is a rare disorder of red blood cell formation characterized by brief, reversible disappearance of erythroblasts (red blood cell precursors) in the bone marrow of children. Q: What do the red blood cells look ...

What Is Neutropenia? Neutropenia  is a blood disorder characterized by presence of an abnormally low number of neutrophils. Neutrophils are white blood cells (leukocytes) that serves as the primary defense against infections by destroying bacteria in the blood.  Specfically, neutrophils are ...

What Is Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura? Immune thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP), formerly called idiopathic, is an immune mediated bleeding disorder characterized by destruction of circulating platelets (thrombocytes) by autoantibodies in the presence of normal bone marrow and without other conditions that cause ...

What Is Hypoprothrombinemia? Hypoprothrombinemia is a deficiency of prothrombin (clotting factor II) in the blood that is characterized by impaired hemostasis in response to trauma or a laceration. Q: What is hemostasis and how is it altered by a deficiency of prothrombin? A: Hemostasis ...

What Is Macrocytosis? Macrocytosis is a blood cell disorder characterized by altered blood cell formation that results in abnormally large erythrocytes (red blood cells) circulating in the bloodstream. The mean corpuscular volume (MCV), which is a measure of the size of ...