Blood Disorders: Diagnosis & treatments

Doctors select tests to help diagnose blood disorders based on the person's symptoms and the results of the physical examination. Sometimes a blood disorder causes no symptoms but is discovered when a laboratory test is done for another reason. For example, a complete blood count done as part of a regular check-up may reveal anemia. When a blood disorder is suspected, a complete blood count and other tests may need to be done to determine the specific diagnosis. The blood test most commonly done is the complete blood count (CBC). The CBC is an evaluation of all the cellular components (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets) in the blood. Automated machines do this test in less than 1 minute on a small amount of blood. The CBC is supplemented in some instances by examination of blood cells under a microscope. One measure of the body's ability to stop bleeding is the count of the number of platelets. Sometimes doctors need to test how well the platelets function. Other tests can measure the overall function of the many proteins needed for normal blood clotting (clotting factors). The most common of these tests are the prothrombin time (PT) and the partial thromboplastin time (PTT). The levels of individual clotting factors can also be determined.

Blood disorders Treatments include:

•        Diet advice
•        Oral medication – tablets or liquid medicines
•        Anticoagulation therapy
•        Intramuscular injections (for example, vitamin B12 injections)
•        Blood transfusion (for anemia)
•        Platelet transfusion
•        Fresh Frozen Plasma transfusion
•        Cryoprecipitate transfusion
•        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)