Blood Disorder: Unveiling Its Causes & Symptoms

Blood disorders affect millions of people every year. Understanding them is vital to proactively protect ourselves and our loved ones. This blog will delve into the causes and symptoms of blood disorders. Before that, let’s explore what a blood disorder means. 

A blood disorder is when the elements of the blood count go abnormal. Abnormal refers to both increased or decreased count of blood elements. The aspects of blood, namely,

• Red blood cell (RBC) or erythrocytes
• White blood cell (WBC) or leukocytes
• Platelets or thrombocytes
• Plasma

Blood Disorder - Causes:

Blood Disorders can occur due to various conditions such as inherited genes, unhealthy lifestyles, nutritious deficiency, underlying medical conditions, chemical exposures, aging, and some exceptional unknown factors.

• Heredity can be one cause of blood disorders, where the affected genes pass down from one generation to another. The genes are affected by a phenomenon called mutation. Some examples of genetic blood disorders include thalassemia and leukaemia. 
• Unhealthy lifestyle habits such as an unbalanced diet, excessive consumption of alcohol, smoking, and a sedentary lifestyle can lead to blood disorders. Chemical exposure to the blood cells can damage the bone marrow, affecting the production of healthy red blood cells. This will lead to blood disorders such as leukaemia. 
• Chemical exposure is another cause of blood disorders. This kind of chemical exposure damages the DNA of the blood cells or the bone marrow. Due to this chemical exposure, the bone marrow, which produces the blood cells, may produce unhealthy blood cells. 
• Aging often affects bone marrow production, which may also be one reason for blood disorders. 
• Some unknown factors may also cause blood disorders. For example, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) may trigger an immune response that destroys the platelets in the human body. The reason for this condition is often unknown. 

What Are the Blood Disorder Symptoms? 

• Symptoms shown for red blood cell disorder include,

1. Chronic infections
2. The wound doesn’t heal for a long duration
3. Unexplained weight loss
4. Unexplained tiredness

• Signs of white blood cell disorder of the blood include,

1. Shortness of breath
2. Palpitation
3. Muscle weakness
4. Unexplained tiredness
5. Difficulty in concentration 
6. Anemia

• Symptoms of Platelet disorder include,

1. Difficulty in controlling bleeding from any wounds or mensuration.
2. Wounds that heal slowly or keep opening for a long.
3. Unexplained bleeding from the nose, mouth, intestine, or urogenital system.
4. Rapid skin bruises

Although every blood disorder is not the same, blood disorders generally show unexplained tiredness and weight loss. The typical symptom of blood disorder is being unwell for no reason. 

Conclusion:

Blood disorders can be treated easily by recognising their symptoms. They can occur because of genetic mutation, poor lifestyle, aging, and chemical or radioactive exposure. Due to these causes, blood disorders happen in the human body, with symptoms common as weakness, chronic infections, and unexpected and unexplained weight loss. Each blood disorder is unique in characteristics, and every patient should be treated with relevant and needed medications and therapies.