What is Benign Hematology?
What is Benign Hematology?
The field of hematology covers a wide spectrum of disorders. Some of these disorders are benign, meaning they resolve completely with therapy or do not cause symptoms and do not affect overall lifespan. Some are chronic and lifelong but again do not affect longevity. Some examples of these benign disorders are:
- Anemia due to chronic disease
- Iron deficiency anemia
- Autoimmune hemolytic anemia, an immune-mediated disease causing a low red blood cell count
- Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), an immune-mediated disease causing a low platelet count
- Low blood counts (white count, red cell count, or platelet count) due to a drug reaction-for example, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia
- Low blood counts not due to medications but related to underlying medical conditions-for example, anemia of chronic disease, or low platelet count secondary to liver disease
- Thalassemia (mild)
- Hemophilia (mild)
- Von Willebrand's disease
- Blood clots (not life-threatening)
- Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance ("MGUS"), a disorder of plasma cells causing abnormal proteins in the blood)
Other disorders of the blood are more serious in that they can cause chronic illness or are life-threatening:
- Sickle cell anemia
- Hemophilia (severe)
- Recurrent blood clots (thrombophilia)
- Myelodysplastic syndrome
- Myeloproliferative diseases (characterized by excessive production of blood cells in the bone marrow)
- Polycythemia vera-too many red cells
- Essential thrombocythemia-too many platelets
- Primary myelofibrosis-excess fibrous or scar tissue in the marrow
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)-excessive white cell production causing leukemia
- Acute leukemias
- Lymphocyte disorders
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
- Lymphoma-Hodgkin's disease
- Lymphoma-non-Hodgkin's
- Plasma cell disorders
- Multiple myeloma
- Waldenström's macroglobulinemia
- Heavy chain disease