Hematology

Blood health

When something is wrong with your blood, your overall health is affected.

Hematologists treat patients with a variety of blood-related disorders.

Common blood disorders include:

• Anemia
• Bleeding disorders (e.g. hemophilia)
• Blood cancer (e.g. leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma)
• Blood clots

Anemia

Anemia is the most common type of blood disorder, affecting more than 3 million Americans. When you have anemia, your body lacks oxygen.  This may cause feelings of weakness, shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches, or even chest pain.

Anemia can be linked to many health conditions and health habits including poor diet, chronic disease, pregnancy, or vigorous athletic exercise.  Treatment for anemia depends on the underlying cause.

Bleeding Disorders

Bleeding disorders occur when the blood does not clot property. When you are injured, the platelets in your blood stick together (or clot) to form a plug in your injured blood vessel. If your blood doesn’t clot properly, it can lead to excessive bleeding.

Bleeding disorders are typically inherited. Treatment may include clotting-factor replacement therapies, medication, and ongoing medical management.

Blood Cancers

Certain cancers impact the production and function of blood cells. Blood cancers (such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma) typically start in the bone marrow where blood is produced.  Abnormal cancerous cells prevent your blood from doing important jobs like fighting off infection or preventing excessive bleeding.

Venous Blood Clots

Blood clots help your body heal after an injury. Typically these clots dissolve naturally after an injury has healed. But sometimes these clots do not dissolve on their own.  Other times, clots form without an obvious injury. Clots may detach and travel through the body, cutting off adequate blood flow.

Blood clot treatments vary depending on your health and the location of the clot. Treatment may include:

• Anticoagulants – medication to prevent clots from forming
• Clot buster drugs – medication to break up blood clots
• Thrombolysis – a catheter-based procedure which delivers clot-dissolving medication directly to the blood clot
• Thrombectomy – surgical removal of a clot

Our physicians see patients with hematologic malignancies, benign hematologic disorders and specialty clinics for sickle cell anemia and hemostasis and thrombosis. We accept referrals from primary care physicians, specialty physician referrals and patient self-referrals.