Vitamins

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 Atherosclerosis? Atherosclerosis is a disease of arteries involving the buildup of fatty material called plaque along the walls of medium and large arteries characterized by patchy subintimal thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of blood vessels. The intima is the ...

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 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 ...

What Is Hypocalcemia? Hypocalcemia, or low plasma calcium, means the level of calcium in blood is too low to meet metabolic needs of the body for calcium. Low blood calcium is characterized by bone and tooth demineralization (loss of calcium ...

What Is Hyperprolactinemia? Hyperprolactinemia is an excess secretion of prolactin hormone causing an elevated blood level that is characterized by its effects on reproduction: in females causing  amenorrhea and in males causing reduced sexual potency. Q: What is prolactin? A: ...

What Are Low Coagulation Factors? Coagulation factors II, VII, IX, X found in blood are essential for normal blood clotting.  Low coagulation factors on blood assay indicate an altered secondary coagulation disorder that is characterized by impaired clot formation. Each coagulation factor ...

What Is Vitamin K? Vitamin K is a family of fat-soluble vitamins, called K vitamers, that exists in three forms: K1 is a natural form found in plants (phylloquinone); K2, found in some animal foods, is synthesized in the intestine ...