My Chronic Illness Journal: Blood Disorders, Descriptions and Resources!

Below is all known blood disorders. Many of these blood disorders create other related conditions from affected areas of the body. Each disorder below has been linked to descriptions, symptoms, and treatments from resources online.

Blood Disorders Affecting Red Blood Cells

Anemia
Anemia occurs when your blood doesn't have enough red blood cells. This can happen if: Your body doesn't make enough red blood cells, bleeding causes you to lose red blood cells more quickly than they can be replaced, or your body destroys red blood cells.
Iron-deficiency anemia
Iron deficiency anemia is a common type of anemia — a condition in which blood lacks adequate healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the body's tissues.
Anemia of chronic disease
[See above for details.]
Pernicious anemia (B12 deficiency)
Pernicious anemia (per-NISH-us uh-NEE-me-uh) is a condition in which the body can't make enough healthy red blood cells because it doesn't have enough vitamin B12.
Aplastic anemia
Aplastic anemia is a condition that occurs when your body stops producing enough new blood cells. Aplastic anemia leaves you feeling fatigued and at higher risk of infections and uncontrolled bleeding.
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
Idiopathic autoimmune hemolytic anemia is a drop in the number of red blood cells due to increased destruction by the body's defense (immune) system.
Thalassemia
Thalassemia (thal-uh-SEE-me-uh) is an inherited blood disorder characterized by less hemoglobin and fewer red blood cells in your body than normal. Several types of thalassemia exist, including alpha-thalassemia, beta-thalassemia, Cooley's anemia and Mediterranean anemia.
Sickle cell anemia
Sickle cell anemia is an inherited form of anemia — a condition in which there aren't enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen throughout your body.
Polycythemia vera
Polycythemia vera is a blood disorder in which your bone marrow makes too many red blood cells. Polycythemia vera also may result in production of too many of the other types of blood cells — white blood cells and platelets. But it's the excess red blood cells that thicken your blood and cause most of the concerns associated with polycythemia vera.
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite. People with malaria often experience fever, chills, and flu-like illness. Left untreated, they may develop severe complications and die. In 2010 an estimated 219 million cases of malaria occurred worldwide and 660,000 people died, most (91%) in the African Region.
Lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, also called non-Hodgkin lymphoma, is cancer that originates in your lymphatic system, the disease-fighting network spread throughout your body. In non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, tumors develop from lymphocytes — a type of white blood cell.
Leukemia
Leukemia is cancer of the body's blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow and the lymphatic system. Many types of leukemia exist. Some forms of leukemia are more common in children. Other forms of leukemia occur mostly in adults.
Multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of your plasma cells, a type of white blood cell present in your bone marrow. Plasma cells normally make proteins called antibodies to help you fight infections.
Myelodysplastic syndrome
Myelodysplastic syndromes are a group of disorders caused by poorly formed or dysfunctional blood cells. Myelodysplastic syndromes occur when something goes wrong in your bone marrow — the spongy material inside your bones where blood cells are made.

Blood Disorders Affecting Platelets

Thrombocytopenia
Thrombocytopenia is the medical term for a low blood platelet count. Platelets (thrombocytes) are colorless blood cells that play an important role in blood clotting. Platelets stop blood loss by clumping and forming plugs in blood vessel holes.
Heparin-induced Thrombocytopenia
If for any reason your blood platelet count falls below normal, the condition is called thrombocytopenia. Normally, you have anywhere from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of circulating blood. Because each platelet lives only about 10 days, your body continually renews your platelet supply by producing new platelets in your bone marrow.
Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura
Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare blood disorder. In TTP, blood clots form in small blood vessels throughout the body. The clots can limit or block the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the body's organs, such as the brain, kidneys, and heart. As a result, serious health problems can develop.
Essential Thrombocytosis (primary thrombocythemia)
Essential thrombocythemia is an uncommon disorder in which your body produces too many blood platelets (thrombocytes). It's also known as primary thrombocythemia (throm-boe-sigh-THEE-me-uh).

Blood Disorders Affecting Blood Plasma

Sepsis
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection. Sepsis occurs when chemicals released into the bloodstream to fight the infection trigger inflammation throughout the body. This inflammation can trigger a cascade of changes that can damage multiple organ systems, causing them to fail.
Hemophilia
Hemophilia is a disorder of your blood-clotting system. Clotting is the process by which your blood changes from a liquid to a solid state. There are several types of hemophilia. All types can cause prolonged bleeding. If you have hemophilia and you have a cut, you'll bleed for a longer time than you would if your blood clotted normally. Small cuts usually aren't much of a problem. The greater health concern, particularly with hemophilia A and B, is deep internal bleeding and bleeding into joints.
von Willebrand Disease
Von Willebrand disease is a condition that involves extended or excessive bleeding. It's the most common inherited bleeding condition. The cause of von Willebrand disease is a deficiency in or impairment of a protein called von Willebrand factor, an important component in your blood clotting process. In general, it takes longer for people with von Willebrand disease to form clots and stop bleeding when they're cut.
Hypercoaguable State (hypercoagulable state)
Patients are considered to have hypercoagulable states if they have laboratory abnormalities or clinical conditions that are associated with an increased risk of thrombosis (prethrombotic states) or if they have recurrent thrombosis without recognizable predisposing factors (thrombosis-prone).
Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT)
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition in which a blood clot (thrombus) forms in one or more of the deep veins in your body, usually in your legs. Deep vein thrombosis can cause leg pain, but often occurs without any symptoms.
Disseminated Intravascular coagulation (DIC)
Disseminated intravascular coagulation (ko-ag-u-LA-shun), or DIC, is a condition in which blood clots form throughout the body's small blood vessels. These blood clots can reduce or block blood flow through the blood vessels, which can damage the body's organs.