"Other" Blood Disorders
- Recombinant EPO abuse
: can cause clotting, stroke, and/or heart failure
- Pernicious anemia
: vitamin B12 deficiency, usually the result of a deficiency
in intrinsic factor in the stomach
- Thalassemia
: alpha and beta; thin, delicate RBCs, due to abnormal hemoglobin (specifically,
a problem with the globin)
- Polycythemia
: also called "erythrocytosis"; excess of RBCs. Secondary polycythemia occurs
when a person accustomed to high altitudes moves to a lower altitude.
- Mono : also
"infectious mononucleosis"; excessive numbers of abnormal agranulocytes
- Thrombocytopenia
: deficient numbers of platelet cells; causes spontaneous bleeding (seen
in aplastic anemia)
- Spherocytosis
: also "hereditary hemolytic anemia;" RBCs are spherical
and fragile
- Elliptocytosis
: similar to spherocytosis, only the cells are more "football" shaped
- Septicemia
: also "sepsis;" blood poisoning due to excessive and harmful levels of bacteria
or their toxins