Hematology (
always spelled haematology in
British English) is the branch of
medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to
blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the production of blood and its components, such as
blood cells,
hemoglobin,
blood proteins,
bone marrow
Bone marrow is a semi-solid tissue found within the spongy (also known as cancellous) portions of bones. In birds and mammals, bone marrow is the primary site of new blood cell production (or haematopoiesis). It is composed of hematopoietic ce ...
,
platelets,
blood vessels,
spleen, and the mechanism of
coagulation. Such diseases might include
hemophilia
Haemophilia, or hemophilia (), is a mostly inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding. This results in people bleeding for a longer time after an injury, easy bruising, ...
, blood clots (
thrombus), other bleeding disorders, and blood
cancers such as
leukemia,
multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone pain, an ...
, and
lymphoma. The laboratory analysis of blood is frequently performed by a
medical technologist or
medical laboratory scientist.
Specialization
Physicians specialized in hematology are known as hematologists or haematologists. Their routine work mainly includes the care and treatment of patients with hematological diseases, although some may also work at the hematology laboratory viewing
blood films and
bone marrow
Bone marrow is a semi-solid tissue found within the spongy (also known as cancellous) portions of bones. In birds and mammals, bone marrow is the primary site of new blood cell production (or haematopoiesis). It is composed of hematopoietic ce ...
slides under the
microscope, interpreting various hematological test results and
blood clotting test results. In some institutions, hematologists also manage the hematology laboratory. Physicians who work in hematology laboratories, and most commonly manage them, are pathologists specialized in the diagnosis of hematological diseases, referred to as hematopathologists or haematopathologists. Hematologists and hematopathologists generally work in conjunction to formulate a diagnosis and deliver the most appropriate therapy if needed. Hematology is a distinct subspecialty of internal medicine, separate from but overlapping with the subspecialty of medical
oncology. Hematologists may specialize further or have special interests, for example, in:
* treating bleeding disorders such as
hemophilia
Haemophilia, or hemophilia (), is a mostly inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding. This results in people bleeding for a longer time after an injury, easy bruising, ...
and
idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), also known as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura or immune thrombocytopenia, is a type of thrombocytopenic purpura defined as an isolated low platelet count with a normal bone marrow in the absence of oth ...
* treating hematological malignancies such as
lymphoma and
leukemia (cancers)
* treating
hemoglobinopathies
* the science of
blood transfusion and the work of a
blood bank
* bone marrow and
stem cell transplantation
Hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) is the transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells, usually derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood in order to replicate inside of a patient and to produce ...
Training
Starting hematologists (in the US) complete a four-year medical degree followed by three or four more years in residency or internship programs. After completion, they further expand their knowledge by spending two or three more years learning how to experiment, diagnose, and treat blood disorders.
When applying for this career, most job openings look for first-hand practical experience in a recognized training program that provides practice in the following: Cause of abnormalities in formation of blood and other disorders, diagnosis of numerous blood related conditions or cancers using experimentation, and the proper care and treatment of patients in the best manner. There are two parts in training of hematology; one is clinical hematology and another is hematopathology.
See also
*
Hematopathology
References
{{Authority control
Blood