Blood Disorder Life Insurance

Common Types of Blood Disorders

Because healthy blood is critical to the normal function of the human body, blood disorders often lead to serious health complications. Their impact on a patient’s daily life primarily depends on their severity, but some types present significantly more pain and discomfort than others even at their early stages.

The following are some of the most common blood disorders:

Anaemia

Anaemia is a blood disorder characterised by the lack of healthy red blood cells or haemoglobin in the blood. Red blood cells are primarily responsible for carrying and distributing oxygen to body cells, and a shortage of it means your body isn’t getting enough oxygen to function properly.

This is one of the most prevalent blood disorders in the world and also one of the most common in Australia. Common symptoms include extreme fatigue, lack of energy, shortness of breath, pale skin, irregular heartbeats, and frequent dizziness.

Successful treatment and management of this condition depend on its causes and severity. Although mild cases caused by insufficient diet can be remedied easily with a proper diet and medication, more severe cases may require more in-depth and lifelong treatment.

Haemophilia

Haemophilia is a blood clotting disorder where a patient’s body is unable to properly control blood clotting. This is primarily caused by a deficiency of essential clotting factors that are critical to normal blood clotting. There are two types of haemophilia: HAEMOPHILIA A and HAEMOPHILIA B, which lack clotting factors VIII and IX respectively.

Common symptoms include episodes of internal or external bleeding, which vary according to the condition’s severity. This could manifest in a variety of symptoms and complications, ranging from simple bruising and swelling to deep internal bleeding and joint damage.

There is currently no known cure for haemophilia, but it can be successfully managed with the right treatment options and proper medication.

Leukaemia

Leukaemia is a form of blood cancer typically attributed to a group of cancers involving the bone marrow. It’s characterised by the abnormal production of white blood cells, which end up undeveloped in the body and cause a variety of complications.

Although there are different types of leukaemia, it’s normally categorised as ACUTE or CHRONIC. With acute leukaemia, the bone marrow produces an excessive amount of immature cells (also called blast cells) that interfere with the production of normal blood cells. Chronic leukaemia, on the other hand, involves the accumulation of abnormal white blood cells that matured but developed irregularly for some reason.

Several types of leukaemia can be cured or properly controlled with the right treatment. Like any other form of cancer, however, early detection and the right treatment options are critical to successfully managing and curing this disease.

Lymphoma

Lymphoma is a general term for cancer affecting the lymphatic system, which is a part of the immune system that helps regulate fluid levels in the body.

There are two main types of lymphoma: Hodgkin lymphoma (also known as Hodgkin disease) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Hodgkin lymphoma is the rarer form of lymphoma, and it involves the presence of an abnormal tumour cell not found in other forms of lymphoma.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, on the other hand, is any other case of lymphoma that’s not Hodgkin. There are several subtypes of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but they are typically categorised as either indolent or aggressive.

Many types of lymphoma can be cured or managed successfully, given an early diagnosis and proper treatment.