BLOOD DISORDERS

When people are told by doctors that their blood tests are abnormal, they often assume the tests reveal a serious disease like leukemia. But while the ever expanding use of blood tests increases the likelihood that any single test may be abnormal, the odds are small that a single, unusual result is due to a serious disorder. More likely, it represents a value (result) only a bit outside the normal range or reflects a relatively minor condition.

Blood disorders are common in lupus and can be very important. Hematologists, who are specialists in blood disorders, are often asked to be involved in the evaluation and treatment of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

The principal hematological (blood) issues of interest are:

• Anemia: low hemoglobin or red blood cells
• Thrombosis: excess blood clotting
• Blood transfusion
• Bone marrow testing

The most common blood abnormalities are not serious but are usually reactions of the body to infections or deficiencies that are treatable. With proper treatment, many sufferers of malignant, severe, and life-threatening diseases survive a long time or, in some cases, are cured. While an internist or generalist can often treat common blood disorders, a hematologist is needed for more severe and complex cases.

Ten and one-half pints of blood circulate constantly through the body of the average adult, bringing to each cell the oxygen, nutrients, and chemical substances necessary for proper functioning and, at the same time, removing waste products.

The blood consists of two basic parts: the formed cells, or corpuscles, and the fluid plasma conveying these cells. Blood cells are formed in the bone marrow found in cavities primarily within the flat bones, such as the ribs and the breastbone (sternum). As a fetus, the human body can produce blood in "extramedullary" sites such as the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes, but blood production in these areas is highly unusual after birth.