- Anemia
- A low red blood cell count and hemoglobin concentration, leading to a decrease in oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.
- Anomaly
- Deviation from what is regarded as normal; congenital malformation.
- Apoptosis
- The mechanism by which cells are systematically eliminated from the body by suicide.
- Bone Marrow
- Soft tissue within the bones; where blood cells are manufactured.
- Bone Marrow Aspiration
- Test in which a sample of bone marrow cells is removed with a needle and examined under a microscope.
- Bone Marrow Transplant
- Procedure during which bone marrow stem cells of the patient are destroyed by chemotherapy and/or radiation and then replaced with healthy stem cells from a donor. Stem cells may also be obtained from peripheral blood or umbilical cord blood.
- Chelation
- A system to remove excess iron from the blood and tissues by providing drugs to which iron is bound and then excreted.
- Chronic
- Of long duration; designating a disease showing little change, or, of slow progression.
- Complete Blood Count (CBC)
- A test that checks the number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in a sample of blood.
- Congenital
- Present at birth.
- Cytokines
- Growth factors which promote the proliferation and maturation of blood cells.
- Diamond Blackfan Anemia
- A rare pure red cell anemia of infancy and childhood resulting from the failure of the bone marrow to produce red blood cells.
- Differential
- Percent of different types of white blood cells in the blood.
- Dominant
- In genetics, a trait or characteristic that will be expressed in the offspring even though it is carried on only one of the homologous (parental) chromosomes. Transmission is from parent to child.
- Endocrine
- System to secrete; the network of ductless glands and other structures that elaborate and secrete hormones directly into the blood stream, affecting the function of specific target organs.
- Erythropoietin
- Hormone produced in the kidneys which drives red blood cell production.
- Etiology
- The cause of a disease.
- Granulocyte
- Type of white blood cell; also known as neutrophil, segmented cell, polymorphonuclear leukocyte the cell which fights bacterial infections.
- Hematology
- Study of the blood.
- Hematocrit
- Ratio of red blood cells to plasma in the blood; portion of the blood’s total volume that is made up of red blood cells. Normal values vary: men 45% to 57%; women 37% to 47%; children depending on age 36% to 40%.
- Hemoglobin
- Hgb or Hb; iron-containing coloring in the blood cells that combines with oxygen from the lungs and carries it to the body’s cells. Normal values for men: 14 to 18 g/dl: women 12 to 16 g/dl; children 12 to 16 g/dl.
- Hematopoiesis
- The forming of new blood cells.
- Granulocyte
- Type of white blood cell; also known as neutrophil, segmented cell, polymorphonuclear leukocyte the cell which fights bacterial infections.
- Hypoplastic
- Defective formation; incomplete development of a part.
- Leukocyte
- A white blood cell formed in the bone marrow. Includes neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils, basophils, and lymphocytes.
- Lymphocyte
- A white blood cell formed in lymphoid tissue throughout the body, e.g., lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, tonsils, and sometimes in bone marrow.
- Megakaryocyte
- Large cells in the bone marrow from which pieces break off to form platelets.
- Multipotent
- Having the ability to become more than one cell type.
- Neutropenia
- Low neutrophil (poly) count.
- Neutrophil
- Type of white blood cell; also call granulocyte or polymorphonuclear leukocyte (poly). Normal values are 50-60 percent or 3,000 to 7,000 in number.
- Osteoporosis
- Osteoporosis
- Pancytopenia
- Low number of all blood cells.
- Parvovirus B-19
- The cause of a usually benign disease known as fifth disease; in immunocomprised patients, may cause aplastic anemia.
- Platelets
- Blood cells which form clots therefore preventing bleeding and bruising. Normal values range from 150,000 to 400,000 per microliter of blood. A count below 50,000 can result in spontaneous bleeding; below 5,000 patients are at risk of severe life-threatening bleeds.
- Precursor
- A substance that precedes another substance.
- Progenitor
- A parent or ancestor; anything that originates or precedes. Blood cell progenitors are derived from stem cells and give rise to precursors.
- Red Blood Cell
- Oxygen-carrying cell in the blood which contains the pigment hemoglobin, produced in the bone marrow; erythrocyte. Counts refer to the number of cells in a single drop (microliter) of blood. Normal ranges vary according to sex and age.
- Refractory
- Not responding to treatment
- Reticulocyte (Retic) Count
- Number of young red blood cells.
- Stem Cell
- Cell from which platelets, red blood cells, and white cells grow in the bone marrow.
- Thrombocyte
- Platelet; clotting factor in the blood.
- Thrombocytopenia
- Low platelet count.
- White Blood Cells
- Blood cells which fight infection. Normal values range from 4,000 to 10,000 cells in a microliter of blood (drop) but can be greatly altered by factors such as stress, exercise and disease.
