Posts Tagged ‘Blood Cell Production’

Causes of High White Blood Cell Count

Comments: 0May 24th, 2010 by admin



There are several possible causes for a high white blood cell count. This count is high when there are more disease-fighting cells in your body. The technical term for this condition is leukocytosis.

Different medical practices may have different limits by which they define high white blood cell count. A count of 10,500 leukocytes in one microliter of blood is widely accepted as a high count. The threshold may vary between sex and age.

White blood cells are categorized by five subtypes, and each type has a different activity in fighting disease. When you get the results of your white blood cell count, they will usually specify what the levels are of all the different types. Usually, a high count is only caused by an increase in one type of white blood cells.

A high white blood cell count is indicative of an immune system problem that increases their production; a disease in your bone marrow that causes high blood cell production; a reaction to some drug that is used to enhance cell production; or the increase expected when your body is fighting off an infection.

There are some more specific reasons why your white blood cell count may be high:

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer that lives in the bone marrow and blood. This disease is a rapidly progressive one. Children are more affected by this than any other type of cancer, although adults can develop the disease as well.

Drugs like epinephrine and corticosteroids can affect your white cell count.

Measles is an infection that affects mainly the respiratory tract. It is very contagious. The signs include skin rash, fever, sore throat, inflamed eyes, runny nose and cough. The measles vaccine is an excellent way to protect children against this disease, but outside of the civilized countries, many children are not vaccinated. This disease will spread rapidly among people who have not had the vaccination.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a serious type of arthritis from which you will experience joint damage and pain. It attacks your joints’ lining and this causes swelling. In turn, that leads to throbbing, aching pain and possibly eventual deformity. Rheumatoid arthritis, also called RA, can make even the easiest of normal activities hard to accomplish.

Some of the other causes of high white blood cell count include:

Stress, be it emotional or physical
Smoking
Tuberculosis
Tissue damage, like one receives with burns
Acute or chronic myelogenous leukemia
Chronic or acute lymphocytic leukemia
Whooping cough
Severe allergic reactions
Myelofibrosis
Polycythemia vera
Other viral infections
Other bacterial infections

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Myelodysplastia Syndrome Exposed

Comments: 0March 11th, 2010 by admin



Previously known as pre-leukemia, myelodyslastia syndrome is a haematological condition that is made up of the inefficient red blood cell production and a host of other health complications. A lot of people are unfamiliar with myelodysplastia syndrome’s details, although most know about leukemia, which is commonly the end-result of MDS.

MDS is an affliction of the bone marrow stem cell, which may result in ineffective and irregular blood production. This irregularity can result to irreversible problems in the blood-forming cells. The illness takes a course towards being chronic in most cases, and can slowly worsen because of steady bone failure. Research shows that an estimated 1/3 of the patients who have MDS can develop acute myelogenous leukemia within a couple of years of living with the condition.

Myelodysplastia Syndrome Diagnosis

According to researchers, the time of diagnosis for the myelodysplastia syndrome is on the average, between 60 and 75 years old. This disorder is more prevalent in males than in females, and is generally rare in children. Although a lot of the symptoms can lead to the detection of this condition, these are linked to other blood disorders; the symptoms are therefore not commonly linked to MDS until the later stages.

Some of myelodyspastia syndrome’s symptoms include:

* Neutropenia – An increased vulnerability to infection

* Anemia – Chronic shortness of breath, chest pain and fatigue

* Thrombocytopenia – Increased vulnerability to bleeding

It is estimated that 50 percent of MDS-related deaths occur as a result of infection or extensive bleeding. Researchers everywhere are still hard at work in trying to find a cure for myelodysplastia syndrome, and for now patients can only rely on the treatments. It should be noted, though, that the type of leukemia that develops from MDS is in particular extremely resistant to different kinds of treatment.

Myelodysplastia Syndrome Detection

Due to its common and general symptoms, MDS can often be wrongly diagnosed, which is the reason why doctors have to examine the blood film and do a full blood count. These steps are necessary to eliminate other possible causes of the symptoms, such as B12, HIV or hepatitis. Doctors also do chromosomal studies that require fresh specimens, inducing the live cells tested to magnify the chromosomal staining.

Myelodysplastia Syndrome Origins

One of the known causes of MDS has to do with environmental factors, specifically the exposure radiation and to the toxic chemical benzene. Secondary MDS can also arise in patients who experience late toxicity, as a result of prolonged exposure to cancer treatments. It is now proven that MDS is a result of the bone marrow stem cell mutations; however the abnormalities responsible for these mutations are yet to be fully understood.

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Aplastic Anemia Causes

Comments: 0September 8th, 2009 by admin



Aplastic anemia is an uncommon but severe disorder related to blood. This is often a result to an unexplainable failure of the bone marrow to produce enough blood cells. The disease is not contagious but can affect patients of any age.

This condition of the blood affects the red, and spongy cavities inside the bones (also known as bone marrow), where different blood cell types are produced – red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. When the bone marrow is damaged, the blood cell production is slowed down or becomes erratic.

Here are some of the most common symptoms of aplastic anemia:

Fatigue Unexpected bleeding Infections Here are some possible causes of aplastic anemia:

Autoimmune disorder. Lupus, one of the autoimmune disorders, can inflict injuries to the body through attacking the healthy cells inside the bone marrow. Use of medication. Certain types of antibiotics and drugs that have strong formulation of chemicals can cause aplastic anemia. Radiation or chemotherapy treatments. This procedure aims to kill cancerous cells but at the same time, they can also damage the body’s healthy cells. Benzene exposure. This is a known carcinogen and toxic substance that when inhaled or ingested for a long period of time may leave fatal effects on the body. Being aware of any of what might be an aplastic anemia cause can be helpful during the diagnosis process.

To diagnose the disease, the doctor would order a series of blood and bone marrow tests. The results would be positive when the blood has very low levels of all the three types of blood cells; and when the bone marrow has very low production of blood cells.

Treatment options are:

Drug therapies – to build immune system of patients; Bone marrow transplantation – only when there are matched donors; Reduced activities – to decrease symptoms of anemia; Isolation – to prevent occurrences of infections to patients; Antibiotics – to control the infection; and Blood transfusion – transfusion of red blood cells helps correct the disorder.

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Anemia – Do You Have it?

Comments: 0June 8th, 2009 by admin



Anemia goes undetected in many people, and symptoms can be vague. Anemia can be caused by a deficiency in folate, iron and/or vitamins and can take months to years to develop. It is more a process of a disease, rather than a disease itself. In menstruating women and young mothers, dietary iron deficiency is a common cause of deficient red blood cell production. Some of the more common symptoms of nutritional deficiency anemia are fatigue, chest pain, trouble breathing, weight loss, weakness, dizziness, pale skin. Anemia can make you feel weak, cold, dizzy and irritable. Pale skin and nail beds are often a useful diagnostic sign in moderate or severe anemia, but it is not always apparent.

You are ‘anemic’ when there is not enough oxygen in the blood. This happens when there are not enough red blood cells being produced. Oxygenated blood helps give your body its energy and your skin a healthy glow. Red Blood Cells carry the oxygen from your lungs to your brain and the rest of your body and each blood cell only lives for about 100 days. Therefore, the body is constantly needing to replace them.

The production of the cells is a function of the bone marrow. Folate (Vitamin B9), iron, Vitamins C and B12 are required to produce healthy red blood cells. If there is a deficiency of Vitamin C which assists in the absorption of dietary iron, the bone marrow produces smaller and fewer cells. A deficiency of Folate and Vitamin B12 results in the bone marrow producing large underdeveloped red blood cells resulting in a shortage of cells.

Fortunately, these deficiencies can usually be corrected through a balanced diet containing green leafy vegetables and citrus fruit and juices for Folate, red and white meat and dairy products for vitamin B12, citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, green peppers, cantaloupe and potatoes for vitamin C. Smoking interferes with the absorption of nutrients, especially vitamin C which helps your body absorb iron, an important building block of red blood cells. Alcohol also effects your ability to absorb nutrients. Some drugs can cause a vitamin deficiency as well.

There may also be another reason for the deficiency of vitamin B12 other than diet. As the liver stores large quantities of B12, it can take a period of time before a deficiency becomes apparent. If there has been an operation on the stomach such as a gastric bypass, vitamin B12 may not be able to be broken down from the food eaten and therefore not absorbed into the body. If this is the case, there are Vitamin B12 shots available to replenish the levels.

Different types of anemia have different causes. However, generally when feelings of constant fatigue, dizziness, pale skin and lack of energy occur, it is advisable to consult a doctor and have blood tests to determine if the blood count is normal. If not, the doctor can then investigate the reasons.

Most people do not realize they are anemic and many complain of weakness or fatigue blaming it on stress, depression, lifestyle etc.. Quite often it is due to a prolonged lack of proper nutrition. A busy and hectic lifestyle can lead to developing a habit of fast foods which lacks the necessary fruit and vegetables in the diet. The effects of a low nutritional diet can take months to years to have a noticeable effect and produce anemia. Altering this habit and changing to a nutritional diet is probably the best prevention.

There is also a new product available as a support to balancing the blood by providing vitamins and iron through absorption through the skin – meaning no tablets necessary. You can read more about it at the Bio Health Chip Store. Always see a doctor if you suspect you have anemia as there are more serious causes that may be present.

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