Posts Tagged ‘Rheumatoid Arthritis’

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

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in anemia

Low Platelets – Possible Causes of ITP and Other Blood Platelet Disorders

Comments: 0May 12th, 2010 by admin



There are a number of reasons and conditions that might just trigger a low platelet count or an increase in the breakdown of blood platelets.

Some possible causes are as follows:

Blood Poisoning – this is usually caused by severe bacterial infections which will leaad to a low platelt count and subsequent blood platelet destruction.

Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome – This is a rare disorder that causes the platelets to plummet. This is also accompanied by destruction of the red blood cells and damage to the kidneys. Sometimes this occurs when the person has contracted a severe bacterial infection such as E.Coli (Escherichia coli), which can be acquired from eating uncooked or undercooked meat, such as hamburger.

Pregnancy – Sometimes and in some unusual circumstances when the body is pregnant it destroys some of its own platelets.

Which can cause a mild case of thrombocytopenia (bruising).

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) – A blood disorder in which your immune system mistakenly identifies platelets as a threat to the body and creates antibodies that attack the platelets.

Other autoimmune diseases – These range from rheumatoid arthritis, some cancers and even lupus. A lot of these conditions lead to destruction of the platelets because the immune system has malfunctioned.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) – This is a rare, sometimes genetic, life-threatening condition. This happens when small blood clots spontaneously occur throughout your body, causing a large number of platelets to be spent in the process. In most cases of TTP the cause is unknown. In some of the cases it might be related to experiencing an infection or a chronic disease.

Drugs and medications – It is acknowledged by the medical community that certain drugs and medications can low platelet production by confusing the immune system and causing it to destroy platelets. Some examples include sulfa-containing antibiotics, heparin, quinidine, quinine, some oral diabetes drugs, gold salts and rifampin.

Thrombocytopenia induced by Heparin, has been known to cause excessive blood clotting instead of bleeding. This increases the risk of clot forming blood clots deep within a leg blood vessel. This can be lifethreatening and very dangerous as the blood stream may carry the clot to your lungs.

Trapped platelets in the spleen – The spleen normally functions to fight infection and filter unwanted waste material from your blood. It is an organ about the size of your fist and is located on the left side of your abdomen just below your rib cage. Sometimes and enlarged spleen, which can be caused by any number of disorders, may hold on to too many blood platelets, thereby causing a low platelet count in the blood.

These are just a sampling of possible causes of a low platelet count. If you have signs of a low platelet count please consider looking into natural means to build up your blood platelet levels.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in anemia

Health Check Ups For Dads

Comments: 0May 4th, 2010 by admin



He is busy, he is a workaholic, he is constantly on his toes and keeps a tab on each member of the family. From the start of the day, until late evenings, he hardly ever relaxes, and yet, seems to be in the pink of his health. But in the midst of all his duties and family time, somewhere down the line he tends to ignore those off and on cold and coughs, backaches, chest pains and blood pressure fluctuations, which if ignored for long, can turn into bigger problems later on in life. And then is all the work stress, worth it, if it takes a toll over his health?

Well, it’s high time our dads looked at their health alongside their business and work, and maintained a balance. Especially after the age of 50 as has been found, bodily functions start slowing down, causing myriad health problems. And as our dads won’t voluntarily go for health checkups, it is pertinent, that they be taken by us, even if it takes away an hour or two of their “precious” time at work, because at the end of the day, there can be no compromising with health.

Below is the list of the most essential tests that would judge your father’s health and physical fitness. These tests are to be taken by all those who are above the age of fifty, independent of the presence of any ailment or disease.

Important Health Checkups

* CBC – ESR Test

Complete Blood Count (CBC) test diagnosis a patient for anemia, infections or other medical conditions.

How is the test conducted: The test is conducted by taking a sample of blood from the patient’s arm by a needle. CBC test doesn’t require any test preparations. Moderate pain after drawing the blood is normal.

Erithrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) test is used to find out any condition related to inflammation in the body. It is always done with other tests, as only ESR test doesn’t help in finding out the proper cause of the problem. It helps in finding out diseases like T.B, thyroid problems, anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever and other inflammatory conditions.

How the test is conducted: The test is conducted by taking a sample of blood from the person’s arm by a needle. Moderate pain after drawing the blood is normal. Just like the CBC test, ESR test doesn’t require any test preparations.

* Lipid Profile Test

Lipid profile test is a group of tests that are done together with blood test and these examine the risk of heart attack, stroke and hardening of arteries. The lipid profile includes total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides. People who have low levels of high density lipoprotein, suffer from diabetes, hypertension and are at high risk of developing heart diseases.

How is the test conducted: A person needs to fast for at least for 9 to 12 hours before the test. The test is conducted by taking a sample of blood from the person’s arm by a needle. Moderate pain after drawing the blood is normal.

* Blood Sugar Test

This is done to mainly check the sugar levels in the blood. High blood sugar can give rise to problems like diabetes, nerve damage, kidney problem, cardio vascular diseases and eye problems along with the weakening of immune system. It is very important test for people suffering from diabetes, so that they keep a tab on their blood sugar level.

How is the test conducted: The person is asked to fast overnight. The test is conducted by taking a sample of blood from the person’s arm by a needle. One more blood sample is taken after lunch, to check the blood sugar level before and after fasting. If blood sugar level before fasting is less than 110mg/dl and post fasting levels is less than 130 mg/dl then it indicates that the person is a non diabetic and the blood sugar level is normal.

* Kidney Tests

Kidneys help to separate toxins, minerals and waste products from the blood. People with diabetes and high blood pressure are at a high risk of developing kidney problems. In the kidney tests, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine and creatinine in blood and urine levels are checked which are responsible for proper functioning of the kidney. Your doctor might ask you to stop medication if you are taking any medicines so as to get the correct results from the test.

How is the test conducted? In the kidney test various tests are conducted, blood and urine samples are taken to find out how the kidneys are functioning. The test is conducted by taking a sample of blood from the person’s arm by a needle and for the urine test, the person is asked to give his urine sample. Kidney tests help in diagnosis of conditions like kidney failure, liver failure, dehydration etc.

* Liver Tests

In liver tests, the liver enzymes levels of Serum Glutamic-Pyruvic Transaminase, Gamma-Glutamyl Transpeptidase, Serum bilirubin, Alkaline phosphate and Serum protein are checked which can lead to early diagnosis of various diseases.

How is the test conducted? No special preparation is needed for this test. The test is conducted by taking a sample of blood from the person’s arm by a needle to perform various tests. Liver tests help you in knowing if you are suffering from any disease of the liver.

* ECG Test

In electrocardiogram test, electrical activity of the heart beat is recorded. This test helps to

check the overall health of the heart.

How is the test conducted? A person has to remove his clothes and lie down on the bed. Various electrodes are attached to the body on various standardized locations. Some medications can affect the result of the test; hence it is necessary to inform the doctor about the medication. ECG test helps in finding out the heart rhythms, to find out if the blood flow to the heart is proper and if any damage is caused to the heart muscles etc.

* PSA Test

Prostate Specific Antigen test helps in diagnosis of the proper functioning of the prostate. It also helps in detecting the cancer of the prostate gland which tends to enlarge in old age.

How is the test conducted? The test is conducted by taking a sample of blood from the person’s arm by a needle. The test displays the levels of prostate specific antigen in one’s blood.

Besides the tests mentioned above, there are other tests that must be carried out for particular ailments the patient may be suffering from.

Also,

* Your dad needs to visit a dentist at least once every six months.

* Also, he needs to be taken to an ENT if there is something that is irritating him either in the nose or the ear or the throat.

* And a regular eye check- up is advisable.

So for once let him occupy the centre stage and give him the attention he deserves. Regular health checkups will ensure that your father remains the pillar of the family.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in anemia