Hematology is the branch of internal medicine that deals with
the study of blood, the organs involved in blood production, and blood
disorders. It covers the biochemical and physiological aspects of blood.
Hematology involves knowledge of the blood cells and analyzing the various
changes that can occur in diseased cells. The word has its origin from two
Greek words, namely haima and logos. Haima means blood and logos means study.
Hematology includes diagnosis and treatment of blood related
diseases along with the study. For diagnosis, certain tests are performed with
the blood. Some of the common tests are full blood counts, blood films, bone
marrow biopsies, and Coombs test. Full blood count is commonly prescribed by
doctors as part of the medical examination. This test is done to check whether
there is any increase or decrease in the number of blood cells from the normal
level.
In hematology, the treatment varies depending upon the type
of the disease the patient has. Some diseases need prolonged treatments and
take a long time to recover. Some others need only few days to recover. Diet
advice and medications are included in the treatments. For patients with
anemia, blood transfusion is done as part of the treatment. Chemotherapy,
radio therapy, and bone marrow transplantations are included in the treatment
methods for leukemia.
The doctors who are
specialized in working with patients of hematological problems are called
hematologists. These doctors mainly treat patients with blood related
diseases, manage hematology laboratories, and examine blood results. Some
hematologists specialize in their careers by treating patients with bleeding
disorders or hematological malignancies only. In the United States, hematology
is an important part of oncology but in UK it is a separate discipline.
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