Blood disorders affect one or more parts of the blood and prevent your blood from doing its job. They can be acute or chronic. Many blood disorders are inherited but additional causes include other diseases, side-effects of medicines and a lack of certain nutrients in your diet.

Disorders and their symptoms

Most of these symptoms can also indicate harmless conditions, so if you experience one or more, don’t be alarmed! Consult your doctor for an accurate diagnosis.

    • Anaemia is a condition in which the body does not have a sufficient number of red blood cells (haemoglobin) because of an iron deficiency or an impaired uptake of vitamin B-12 (pernicious anaemia). Symptoms may include headache, insomnia, disturbed vision, dizziness, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, indigestion, pallor, a shortage of breath on exertion, sore tongue, swelling of the ankles, chest pain and tiredness.
    • Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer in which white blood cells (plasma cells) become malignant. Symptoms may include broken bones, usually in the spine, feeling weak and very tired, feeling very thirsty, frequent infections and fevers, weight loss, nausea or constipation, and frequent urination. Most often, however, these symptoms are not due to cancer.
    • Leukaemia is a form of blood cancer in which white blood cells become malignant and multiply inside bone marrow. It may be acute (rapid and severe) or chronic (slowly progressing). Symptoms may include swollen lymph nodes (especially lymph nodes in the neck or armpit), fevers or night sweats, frequent infections, feeling weak or tired, bleeding and bruising easily (bleeding gums, purplish patches in the skin, or tiny red spots under the skin), swelling or discomfort in the abdomen (from a swollen spleen or liver), unexplained weight loss and pain in the bones or joints.
    • Lymphoma is a form of blood cancer that develops in the lymph system. In lymphoma, white blood cells become malignant, multiplying and spreading abnormally. Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma are the two major groups of lymphoma. Symptoms may include painless lumps in your neck, armpits or groin, weight loss, fever, excessive sweating at night, itchiness all over your body, loss of appetite, feeling of weakness and breathlessness along with swelling of the face and neck. Lymphomas can occur in any organ. A lymphoma in the stomach can cause pain in the abdomen, and a lymphoma in the brain can cause headaches or leg weakness.
    • Sickle-cell anaemia is an inherited condition. It starts in childhood. Symptoms may include slight yellow discoloration of the skin; feverishness; weakness, dizziness and anaemia. Anything causing deep or rapid breathing may result in a crisis with abdominal and joint pains. Blood clots may occur anywhere in the body.

 

Sources
Readers Digest guide to medical cures and treatment. 1999. Cape Town. The Readers Digest Association.
www.about.com
www.nlm.nih.gov
www.webmd.com