Bloods DNA
Blood is the liquid that transport oxygen and vital nutrients throughout our body. In addition, it carries waste products back to be disposed of properly.
This valuable liquid consists of three components, they are; red blood cells, white blood cells and plasma. Each play a critical part in our homeostasis, overall wellbeing.
What happens if our blood cell count is either extremely high or critically low? Will this abnormal count cause us to experience symptoms?
If so, what warning signs should we expect? I will discuss the various types of blood diseases and their symptoms in the following paragraphs.
What Red Blood Cells
Red blood cells are also known as erythrocytes. They contain a chemical known as hemoglobin. This substance helps your body to carry oxygen from your lungs to your organs and tissues.
These erythrocytes are manufactured in your bone marrow and their life expectancy is only four months. If you have a low red blood cell count you’ll be diagnosed with an illness known as anemia.
There are several different types of anemia. The most common are iron deficiency, b12deficiency, ACD, sickle cell, aplastic, Hemolyticanemia and anemia due to blood loss.
Out of all of these the only two than usually causes pain and discomfort is sickle cell anemia and iron deficiency anemia. Sickle cell anemia can cause severe pain in the back, legs and hips.
Iron deficiency anemia can cause extreme fatigue and joint inflammation, which can cause pain.
Malaria is a disease of the red blood cells. This infection causes a person’s red blood cells to shatter which in turn will cause damage to the organs.
Malaria also causes chills, fever and severe pain. This infection is generally seen in Africa, Central and South America, South East Asia and Pacific Islands.
The Protective Cells
White blood cells are also known as leukocytes. They too are produced in the bone marrow and have a very short life span, usually less than a few weeks.
These leukocytes, help with your immune system. When your body believes there is an infection, it produces more white blood cells so they can surround and attack the infectious source.
People with high white blood cell counts usually have an infection. A low white cell count is generally caused from treatments, or specific immune depleting diseases themselves like HIV and cancer.
Lymphoma is a cancer of the blood. This disease begins in the lymph system. It starts with one abnormal white blood cell.
This cell multiplies which creates more mutated cells which multiply. People with this type of disease can experience pain in their lymphatic system. They can also experience chest, low back and stomach pains.
Leukemia is a disease of the white blood cells. Like Lymphoma leukemia produces mutated white blood cells. People with this disease often experience bone pain.
The Platelets Thicken
Another name for platelets is thrombocytes. It too is made in the bone marrow. Their life span is up to 9 days. Platelets are unlike red and white blood cells because they are only cell particles and not whole cells like the other two. Their main purpose is to form blood clots.
People with low platelet count has a condition called thrombocytopenia. This can occur in alcoholism, vitamin deficiency, aplastic anemia and leukemia. Blood thinning drugs, some autoimmune diseases and chemotherapy can also cause low platelet counts.
Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer. This disease causes mutated plasma cells to produce. Like the other forms of cancer, it too can cause severe bone pain.
Primary thrombocythemia is a disease caused when your body produces too many platelets. This will cause your body to form unnecessary clots. People with this disease can experience chestpains and pains in other parts of your body where abnormal clots have formed.
Deep vein thrombosis or DVT occurs when a person produces a clot in one of their deep veins, usually the lower extremities.
This clot can cause redness, warmth, swelling and tenderness in the area it’s located.
Disseminated intravascular coagulation or DIC. This is a disorder that causes your body to bleed out and produce blood clots at the same time. People might experience this after surgery, or a bad infection. A person with this disease can experience chest pains.
Hemophilia is a disease that’s caused when a person doesn’t have enough specific proteins in their blood to help them clot.
In severe cases this bleeding can occur in joints which will cause extreme pain in that area.
Disorder Hodge-Podge
Myelodysplastic syndrome is a group of blood cancers that affects the bone marrow. Over time this disease will progress into leukemia. It too can cause severe bone pain.
Sepsis is an infection that’s become so bad it spread into the blood stream and throughout the body. A person will experience extreme pain with this disease and if left untreated possible death.
HenochSchonleinPupura occurs when a protein IgA is deposited into the blood vessels. This causes red and raised areas that turn purple and resembles a bruise.
It can also cause a rash as the result of small blood vessels leaking red blood cells. It’s thought that this occurs mostly in children under 11 after they’ve had some type of infection. The child suffering with this disease generally complains of stomach and joint pain.
Generally speaking, most of the autoimmune system disease cause various symptoms which includes fatigue, malaise and overall body pain. The type of pain and its location depends on the disease and what area it’s attacking.
Summing it up
The blood is a compound consisting of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Each has important tasks it must carry out in order for us to achievehomeostasis.
Treatments, vitamin deficiencies and diseases can cause our blood cell count to either sky rocket, or become extremely low.
This abnormality can cause us a great deal of pain. Although pain’s something nobody wants to experience, it’s our body’s way of telling us something’s wrong.
