- 1 On being a patient
- 2 Modern medicine: foundations, achievements, and limitations
- 3 Global patterns of disease and medical practice
- 4 Cell biology
- 5 Immunological mechanisms
- 6 Principles of clinical oncology
- 7 Infection
- 8 Sexually transmitted diseases and sexual health
- 9 Chemical and physical injuries and environmental factors and disease
- 10 Clinical pharmacology
- 11 Nutrition
- 12 Metabolic disorders
- 13 Endocrine disorders
- 14 Medical disorders in pregnancy
- 15 Gastroenterological disorders
- 16 Cardiovascular disorders
- 17 Critical care medicine
- 18 Respiratory disorders
- 19 Rheumatological disorders
- 20 Disorders of the skeleton
- 21 Disorders of the kidney and urinary tract
- 22 Disorders of the blood
- 22.1 Introduction
- 22.2 Haemopoietic stem cells
- 22.3 The leukaemias and other bone marrow disorders
- 22.4 The white cells and lymphoproliferative disorders
- 22.5 The red cell
- 22.6 Haemostasis and thrombosis
- 22.7 The blood in systemic disease
- 22.8 Blood replacement
- 23 Disorders of the skin
- 24 Neurological disorders
- 25 The eye
- 26 Psychiatry and drug related problems
- 27 Forensic medicine
- 28 Sports medicine
- 29 Geratology
- 30 Pain
- 31 Palliative medicine
- 32 Biochemistry in medicine
- 33 Acute medicine
(p. 4191) Introduction
- Chapter:
- (p. 4191) Introduction
- Author(s):
D J Weatherall
and Chris Hatton
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199204854.003.02201_update_001
Update:
Chapter reviewed December 2012—minor changes only.
Almost all diseases can produce changes in the blood, and primary haematological disorders can affect any organ system. The general clinical approach to the patient with a haematological disorder involves the following:
This should place particular emphasis, depending on the presenting problem, on (1) symptoms of anaemia; (2) overt blood loss—gastrointestinal or menstrual; (3) dietary history and evidence of malabsorption; (4) weight loss, night sweats, fever, bone pain, and pruritus—which may indicate a lymphoproliferative or myeloproliferative disorder; (5) drug ingestion—many drugs produce haematological side effects; (6) bruising/bleeding—has the patient bled significantly in the past following dental extractions or minor surgical procedures?; (7) family history—may give useful clues to the cause of bleeding or anaemia, as may the ethnic origin of the patient’s ancestors....
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- 1 On being a patient
- 2 Modern medicine: foundations, achievements, and limitations
- 3 Global patterns of disease and medical practice
- 4 Cell biology
- 5 Immunological mechanisms
- 6 Principles of clinical oncology
- 7 Infection
- 8 Sexually transmitted diseases and sexual health
- 9 Chemical and physical injuries and environmental factors and disease
- 10 Clinical pharmacology
- 11 Nutrition
- 12 Metabolic disorders
- 13 Endocrine disorders
- 14 Medical disorders in pregnancy
- 15 Gastroenterological disorders
- 16 Cardiovascular disorders
- 17 Critical care medicine
- 18 Respiratory disorders
- 19 Rheumatological disorders
- 20 Disorders of the skeleton
- 21 Disorders of the kidney and urinary tract
- 22 Disorders of the blood
- 22.1 Introduction
- 22.2 Haemopoietic stem cells
- 22.3 The leukaemias and other bone marrow disorders
- 22.4 The white cells and lymphoproliferative disorders
- 22.5 The red cell
- 22.6 Haemostasis and thrombosis
- 22.7 The blood in systemic disease
- 22.8 Blood replacement
- 23 Disorders of the skin
- 24 Neurological disorders
- 25 The eye
- 26 Psychiatry and drug related problems
- 27 Forensic medicine
- 28 Sports medicine
- 29 Geratology
- 30 Pain
- 31 Palliative medicine
- 32 Biochemistry in medicine
- 33 Acute medicine