Hematology
HOSPITHEALTH, provides health services for hematology patients with high-experienced specialists in JCI accredited hospitals in Turkey.
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What is hepatology?
Hepatology is distinct from other specialized forms of medicine because of its focus on organs affected by hepatic diseases. Your hepatic system includes the following organs.
Liver
Hepatology’s primary focus is on the liver.
This essential organ is responsible for helping to digest (The human digestive system is how tissues and organs receive nutrients to function. The system breaks down food, extracts nutrients from it, and converts them into energy). the foods you eat as well as supporting your metabolism (Metabolism is a term that describes all the chemical reactions in your body.
These chemical reactions keep your body alive and functioning.
However, the word metabolism is often used interchangeably with metabolic rate, or the number of calories you burn.
The higher it is, the more calories you burn and the easier it is to lose weight and keep it off.
Having a high metabolism can also give you energy and make you feel better.)
and getting rid of toxins.
The liver also helps store and process fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin D3 and vitamin E.
Pancreas
Located behind the stomach, the pancreas is responsible for making insulin (Insulin is a hormone made in your pancreas, a gland located behind your stomach. Insulin allows your body to use glucose for energy. Glucose is a type of sugar found in many carbohydrates. and producing digestive enzymes (Your body makes enzymes in the digestive system, including the mouth, stomach, and small intestine. The largest share is the work of the pancreas.
Digestive enzymes help your body break down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins from food. This is necessary to allow for the absorption of nutrients and to maintain optimal health. Without these enzymes, the nutrients in your food go to waste).
Acute or chronic pancreatitis (Chronic pancreatitis is an inflammation of your pancreas that doesn’t improve over time.
The pancreas is an organ located behind your stomach. It makes enzymes, which are special proteins that help digest your food. It also makes hormones that control the level of sugar in your bloodstream.
Pancreatitis occurs when your pancreas becomes inflamed. Pancreatitis is considered acute when the inflammation comes on suddenly and only lasts for a short period of time. It’s considered chronic when it keeps coming back or when the inflammation doesn’t heal for months or years.
Chronic pancreatitis can lead to permanent scarring and damage. Calcium stones and cysts may develop in your pancreas, which can block the duct, or tube, that carries digestive enzymes and juices to your stomach. The blockage may lower the levels of pancreatic enzymes and hormones, which will make it harder for your body to digest food and regulate your blood sugar. This can cause serious health problems, including malnutrition and diabetes).
can occur when the enzymes involved in digestion damage the pancreas, causing serious inflammation.
This can also happen when the digestive enzymes made by the liver or pancreas can’t be released due to a blockage by a stone.
Biliary tract
Also called the biliary tree or biliary system, the biliary tract is the connection, or tract, between the liver, the gallbladder, and the pancreas.
The biliary tract allows bile and pancreatic enzymes to get into the small intestine to help with digestion, including fat digestion (Even though fat has gotten a bad rap over the years, it’s essential to your health. Fat supports several of your body’s functions and gives your body the energy that it needs.
Fat also helps your body absorb important vitamins and gives your body essential fatty acids that control inflammation, improve brain health, and more).
Gallbladder
The gallbladder is a small organ located on the upper-right part of your stomach.
The gallbladder is a pouch that collects the bile produced by the liver. When you eat a meal, it contracts and dumps its contents into the intestines to help with digestion.
Gallstones can form when bile imbalances occur, thereby blocking bile flow.
What Is a Hematologist?
A hematologist is a doctor who specializes in researching, diagnosing, treating, and preventing blood disorders (A blood cell disorder is a condition in which there’s a problem with your red blood cells, white blood cells, or the smaller circulating cells called platelets, which are critical for clot formation. All three cell types of form in the bone marrow, which is the soft tissue inside your bones. Red blood cells transport oxygen to your body’s organs and tissues. White blood cells help your body fight infections. Platelets help your blood to clot. Blood cell disorders impair the formation and function of one or more of these types of blood cells). and disorders of the lymphatic system (lymph nodes and vessels).
If your primary care physician has recommended that you see a hematologist, it may be because you are at risk for a condition involving your red or white blood cells, platelets, blood vessels, bone marrow, lymph nodes, or spleen. Some of these conditions are:
Hemophilia, a disease that prevents your blood from clotting, Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder in which a person lacks or has low levels of certain proteins called “clotting factors” and the blood doesn’t clot properly as a result. This leads to excessive bleeding. There are 13 types of clotting factors, and these work with platelets to help the blood clot. Platelets are small blood cells that form in your bone marrow. According to the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH), about one in 10,000 people are born with this disease.
Sepsis, an infection in the blood Sepsis is a life-threatening illness caused by your body’s response to an infection. Your immune system protects you from many illnesses and infections, but it’s also possible for it to go into overdrive in response to an infection. Sepsis develops when the chemicals the immune system releases into the bloodstream to fight an infection cause inflammation throughout the entire body instead. Severe cases of sepsis can lead to septic shock, which is a medical emergency.
Leukemia, cancer that affects blood cells, there are several broad categories of blood cells, including red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), and platelets. Generally, leukemia refers to cancers of the WBCs. WBCs are a vital part of your immune system. They protect your body from invasion by:
Viruses
Fungi
Abnormal cells
Foreign substances
Bacteria
Lymphoma, cancer that affects the lymph nodes and vessels, The lymph system is a series of lymph nodes and vessels that move lymph fluid through the body. Lymph fluids contain infection-fighting white blood cells. Lymph nodes act as filters, capturing and destroying bacteria and viruses to prevent infection from spreading.
While the lymph system typically protects your body, lymph cells called lymphocytes can become cancerous. The names for cancers that occur in the lymph system are lymphomas.
Doctors classify more than 70 cancer types as lymphomas. Lymphomas can affect any portion of the lymphatic system, including:
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bone marrow
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thymus
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spleen
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tonsils
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lymph nodes
Sickle cell anemia is a disease that prevents red blood cells from flowing freely through your circulatory system. Sickle cell anemia, or sickle cell disease (SCD), is a genetic disease of the red blood cells (RBCs). Normally, RBCs are shaped like discs, which gives them the flexibility to travel through even the smallest blood vessels. However, with this disease, the RBCs have an abnormal crescent shape resembling a sickle. This makes them sticky and rigid and prone to getting trapped in small vessels, which blocks blood from reaching different parts of the body. This can cause pain and tissue damage.
SCD is an autosomal recessive condition. You need two copies of the gene to have the disease. If you have only one copy of the gene, you are said to have a sickle cell trait.
Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder in which the body makes an abnormal form of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen.
The disorder results in excessive destruction of red blood cells, which leads to anemia. Anemia is a condition in which your body doesn’t have enough normal, healthy red blood cells.
Thalassemia is inherited, meaning that at least one of your parents must be a carrier of the disorder. It’s caused by either a genetic mutation or a deletion of certain key gene fragments.
Thalassemia minor is a less serious form of the disorder. There are two main forms of thalassemia that are more serious. In alpha thalassemia, at least one of the alpha-globin genes has a mutation or abnormality. In beta-thalassemia, the beta-globin genes are affected.
Anemia happens when the number of healthy red blood cells in your body is too low. Red blood cells carry oxygen to all the body’s tissues, so a low red blood cells count indicates that the amount of oxygen in your blood is lower than it should be.
Many of the symptoms of anemia are caused by decreased oxygen delivery to the body’s vital tissues and organs.
Anemia is measured according to the amount of hemoglobin — the protein within red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body’s tissues.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a serious condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein located deep inside your body. A blood clot is a clump of blood that’s turned to a solid-state.
Deep vein blood clots typically form in your thigh or lower leg, but they can also develop in other areas of your body. Other names associated with this condition may include:
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thromboembolism
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post-thrombotic syndrome
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postphlebitic syndrome
What kinds of tests do hematologists?
To diagnose or monitor blood disorders, hematologists often use these tests:
Complete blood count (CBC)
A CBC counts your red and white blood cells, hemoglobin (a blood protein), platelets (tiny cells that clump together to make a blood clot), and hematocrit (the ratio of blood cells to liquid plasma in your blood).
Prothrombin time (PT)
This test measures how long it takes your blood to clot. Your liver produces a protein called prothrombin which helps to form clots. If you’re taking a blood thinner or your doctor suspects that you may have a liver problem, a PT test may help monitor or diagnose your condition.
Partial thromboplastin time (PTT)
Like a prothrombin test, the PTT
measures how long your blood takes to clot. If you’re having problematic bleeding anywhere in your body — nosebleeds, heavy periods, pink urine — or if you’re bruising too easily, your doctor can use a PTT to find out whether a blood disorder is causing the problem.
International normalized ratio (INR)
If you take a blood thinner like warfarin, your doctor may compare the results of your blood clotting tests with results from other labs to be sure the medication is working properly and to be sure your liver is healthy. This calculation is known as an international normalized ratio (INR).
Some newer at-home devices allow patients to conduct their own INR testing at home, which has been shown to improve quality of life trusted source for patients who need to have their blood-clotting speed measured regularly.
Bone marrow biopsy
If your doctor thinks you are not making enough blood cells, you may need a bone marrow biopsy. A specialist will use a small needle to take a bit of bone marrow (a soft substance inside your bones) to be analyzed under a microscope.
Your doctor may use a local anesthetic to numb the area before the bone marrow biopsy. You’ll be awake during this procedure because it’s relatively quick.
What other procedures do hematologists do?
Hematologists are involved in many of the therapies, treatments, and procedures related to blood and bone marrow. Hematologists do:
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ablation therapy (procedures in which abnormal tissue can be eliminated using heat, cold, lasers, or chemicals)
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blood transfusions
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bone marrow transplants and stem cell donations
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cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and biological therapies
growth factor treatments
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Immunotherapy
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Because blood disorders can affect almost any area of the body, hematologists usually collaborate with other medical specialists, especially internists, pathologists, radiologists, and oncologists.
Hematologists treat both adults and children. They may work in hospitals, in clinics, or in laboratory settings.