Blood and Immunity

Spleen Location, Anatomy and Function

What is the spleen? The spleen is a spongy oval-shaped organ and is roughly the size of a person’s fist. It is located in the left upper quadrant (hypochondrium) of the abdomen, just under the left ribcage. The spleen has many important functions in the body involving the storage of blood and immune activity but it >> Read More ...

Excessive Bleeding – Different Types of Bleeding Disorders

The body has an efficient mechanism for stopping blood loss when bleeding arises. This mechanism has several phases to first reduce the degree of bleeding, temporarily plug the point of the blood loss, further seal the area for the long term and then expedite healing of the affected blood vessel to restore its integrity. >> Read More ...

Macrocytosis (Enlarged Red Blood Cells)

What is macrocytosis? Macrocytosis is the term for enlarged red blood cells. These blood cells, also known as erythrocytes, may be larger than normal for various reasons that affect its development. Therefore further investigations are necessary to identify the cause, as some of these causative factors can be very serious >> Read More ...

Sickle Cell Anemia (Sickled Red Blood Cells)

The red blood cells possess a protein known as hemoglobin that binds and transports oxygen from lungs to other body parts. Therefore, hemoglobin is critical for survival and normal body functioning. Any defect in the gene coding for this oxygen-carrier protein may disrupt all vital body functions and present a spectrum of >> Read More ...

Subclavian Artery Thrombosis (Blood Clot Blockage)

What is subclavian artery thrombosis? Subclavian artery thrombosis is a blockage of the subclavian artery by a blood clot. Injury to a vessel and narrowing due to fatty plaques (atherosclorosis) are common predisposing factors of a blockage of an artery with a blood clot. This is typically seen with older people. However, >> Read More ...

Thrombocytosis (High Blood Platelets)

Definition Thrombocytosis is a condition where the platelet count in the blood is higher than normal. It is also referred to as thrombocythemia. Platelets are an important component of blood and is an integral factor in the blood clotting process. Most cases of thrombocytosis are transient and the condition does not >> Read More ...

How To Diagnose Lupus (SLE)? Symptoms and Tests

Lupus is a broad term for a group of autoimmune conditions. A mild type is cutaneous lupus erythematosus, the most notable form being discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), which primarily affects the skin. A greater concern for most people is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) which can affect several organs throughout the >> Read More ...

What Do Iron Blood Test Results Mean?

When we hear of iron in food or supplements we immediately think of the blood. Indeed the blood and specifically red blood cells require iron for its development and function. But iron is also needed by a host of other cells for different processes that sustain life. Iron is also needed for metabolic activities, for immune >> Read More ...

Reasons for Common Iron Deficiency Anemia Symptoms

We do not often pay much attention to the complexity of human blood but it is a lot more than just red fluid flowing through the blood vessels. Within blood is a host of different cells, carrier proteins, nutrients, gases, wastes and toxins. Blood is the medium through which all these different substances travel from one >> Read More ...

Hypermagnesemia (High Blood Magnesium)

What is hypermagnesemia? Hypermagnesemia is the medical term for high magnesium levels in the blood. It is an uncommon condition because the kidney is very proficient in getting rid of excess magnesium from the body. Hypermagnesemia is unlikely to occur unless magnesium is being administrated in a person with kidney >> Read More ...
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