Disorders of the Blood

In the human body there are two important types of blood cells, these are red blood cells and the white blood cells. Red blood cells operate in effort of carrying oxygen to the lungs. White blood cells serve to defend tissues in the body that have the capability of setting up infections in the body. There are many different blood disorders that people have. Blood disorders may be the cause of serious illnesses and some deaths. Disorders may begin to affect an individual as early as in their childhood. Anemia, Sickle cell, and Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia are the disorders that I will be explaining and discussing in the below scenarios. Lily, a 4-year-old Caucasian female, has she been complaining of being tired all the time. She is pale and is a picky eater. Her mother is a single mom with a small budget to feed a large family. Lily eats only pasta, breads, and hot dogs, and she drinks only artificial fruit punch. Lily has iron deficiency anemia. Anemia is when the blood lacks the proper amount of healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells are the main transporters of oxygen to organs. Some symptoms of anemia are fatigue because organs do not get enough oxygen and this is when fatigue happens. Certain forms of anemia are hereditary and infants can be affected from time of birth. Girls who do not have the proper amount of iron in their diet may become iron deficient due to inadequate dietary iron, inadequate growth requirements, and the start of menstruation. The most common symptoms of Iron Deficiency Anemia include eating or craving ice, swelling of the tongue, and very dry lips. The mother can not afford many groceries. This is a critical part in bad eating habits. Lily’s mom should try to buy her some food and drinks that has a lot of vitamin C. Davon is a 5-year-old African American male who has just moved to Chicago, and he is visiting his new pediatrician for a kindergarten physical. His mother tells the nurse that she carries the sickle cell trait and wants Davon screened for it. Davon may have the sickle cell trait. Sickle cell is a disease that changes normal blood cells to round red blood cells. Red blood cells pass through blood vessels easily. A person that has sickle cell means that it very hard for red blood cells to pass through the blood vessels, and that is because it is in a different form. The oxygen is stopped. This can cause a lot of pain for the person. Sickle cell causes a lifelong battle against many health problems. This can cause infections and erious illnesses, even a stroke. Symptoms for someone who has Sickle cell are often painful and are caused in the event of the sickled cells getting stuck in the blood vessels. When this happens then the blood flow is prevented from carrying out the normal function. If the blood flow is blocked it causes pain in the feet, hands, back, chest, or belly. The pain may last for a few hours or even days. People who have Sickle cell usually have anemia. People that have Sickle cell anemia, have an abnormal skin color.