Blood Diseases
with Maddie Chaudhry, MD
Your blood is like any other organ in your body. It is susceptible to diseases that can be very serious and affect your quality of life or even be fatal. However, not all blood diseases are cancerous and many can be easily treated.
Maddie Chaudhry, MD, medical oncologist and hematologist, GBMC, says, “Treatments for both benign and malignant blood disorders can be very effective; however, the most important step is for patients to see their doctors if they have any symptoms. The earlier the disease is diagnosed and treated, the more likely that treatment will be successful.”
Excessive bleeding is a common benign disorder that can usually be easily treated by replacing either the clotting factors or missing blood cells. Symptoms include bruising easily, bleeding from the mouth, or bleeding more than normally from a cut or after surgery.
Blood clotting is also common and can result in some serious complications because people may develop life-threatening clots in their legs or lungs (or other areas), which can travel to their hearts or brains. Fortunately, there are good tests available that can identify those individuals at risk for blood clotting. Pregnancy can sometimes be a major risk factor for clotting. Swelling in the legs may be a symptom of blood clots in the legs and shortness of breath could be a symptom of blood clots in the lungs. Blood clotting is usually treatable with effective blood thinning medications; however, patients taking blood thinners need to be carefully monitored because of possible complications with increased bleeding. For instance, these patients would not be scheduled for surgery until they have been off blood thinners for quite some time.
The tendency to either bleed or clot excessively can be inherited. If you know this tendency runs in your family, then you should definitely seek medical attention for treatment to prevent complications of these conditions.
Iron deficiency, another benign blood disorder, is relatively common, particularly in young women who have heavy periods and in pregnant women. In the past, the most common treatment for this condition was iron pills taken orally; however, since these pills are not well tolerated by many patients, iron is frequently delivered intravenously, which is a simple outpatient procedure.
There are also a variety of malignant blood disorders, such as leukemia and lymphomas. Leukemia is a type of cancer where white blood cells significantly outnumber red blood cells. The shortage of red cells results in anemia, excessive bleeding, and frequently in infections. Leukemia can be acute or chronic and can affect people of all ages, although it is more common as people grow older.
Acute leukemia has a more abrupt onset. Symptoms include fever from infection, marked fatigue from anemia, and bruising because of low platelets, which are particles in the blood that contribute to clotting. Acute leukemia is typically treated with intensive inpatient chemotherapy, which can be life-saving if the disease is detected early and treated promptly.
Chronic leukemia does not have such sudden or obvious symptoms and is usually detected through routine lab work. Chronic leukemia is usually very treatable with chemotherapy that is well-tolerated. There are also some new oral medications that work well. Both acute and chronic leukemia can be fatal if not treated effectively, but acute leukemia demands the most urgent and aggressive treatment.
Lymphoma is also a common malignant blood disorder, which can be divided into Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. A lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph node system. The only way to tell the difference between these two diseases is by looking at their cells under a microscope. A certain cell is found in Hodgkin’s lymphoma that is not found in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Even though these diseases and their symptoms are similar, it is important to know the difference because their treatment can be very different.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma tends to appear in patients in their 20s and their 60s, although it can be present at any age. Non-Hodgkins lymphoma tends to increase as people grow older. Both kinds of lymphoma have symptoms of fatigue, fever, excessive sweating, and enlarged lymph nodes that can be located anywhere in the body. Like leukemia, lymphomas are treated with chemotherapy and targeted medicines that are very effective and well-tolerated. Lymphomas are also sometimes treated with radiation. In certain cases, if the patient has a relapse of lymphoma, physicians may recommend a bone marrow transplant.
If you have any symptoms of leukemia or lymphoma, see your primary care physician right away. If you have either of these diseases, you will probably be referred to an oncologist.
Dr. Chaudhry is encouraging when she discusses treatment of these blood diseases. She says, “ We continue to make tremendous progress in the treatment of malignant blood diseases. Our current treatments are very effective and there are a variety of clinical trials underway at GBMC and at other medical centers that are testing even more advanced treatments.”
