Medical Termionology Chapter 6 Hematology and Immunology Blood and Lymphatic System: Anatomy and Physiology

Hematology

is the medical specialty that studies

anatomy and physiology of blood

Immunology

is the medical specialty of the lymphatic

system and immune response

Components of BloodV

Blood is composed of plasma and formed elements (red blood cells, white

blood cells, platelets)

Plasma

is the liquid component of blood.

–It is a clear, straw-colored liquid that makes up 55% of the

blood.

–It is thicker than water because it contains substances like

albumin (a soluble protein) and electrolytes.

–Nutrients are transported in plasma.

–Metabolic wastes are transported in plasma

The formed elements

are suspended in the plasma.

‒ Erythrocytes

‒ Leukocytes

‒ Platelets

formed elements of blood are created through

hematopoiesis.

–hemat/o- = blood

–-poiesis = process of formation

Hematopoiesis

occurs in the red marrow of long

bones and flat bones.

• Each type of cell or cell fragment begins in the

marrow as a very immature stem cell

Erythrocytes

are red blood cells

(RBCs).

–erythr/o- = red

–-cyte = cell

• They are the most numerous formed element

• They are flat, red disks with no nucleus

Hemoglobin

(Hgb) in erythrocytes

carries oxygen (and some carbon

dioxide)

When there are too few erythrocytes

erythropoietin

(EPO), a hormone from the kidney, prompts their

production

The spleen

spleen removes old erythrocytes and recycles

their iron and amino acids

Anemia

A decrease in the number of erythrocytes; it can

have several causes.

• Insufficient consumption of iron

• Red bone marrow damage from cancer, radiation

therapy, or chemotherapy drugs.

• Excessive blood loss due to hemorrhage, menstruation,

or chronic bleeding.

All anemias have low oxygen-carrying capacity

• an- = not, without

• -emia = condition of the blood

Iron-deficiency

anemia

Not enough iron, hemoglobin is not

made

• Results in lower oxygen delivery to

tissues

• Fatigue

hypo- = below

chrom/o- = color

micr/o- = small

cyt/o- = cell

Pernicious anemia

Occurs when there is too little vitamin

B12 in the diet or the stomach does not

absorb B12.

(Pernicious = Latin, ruin)

• Vitamin B12 is needed for RBC

production

Sickle cell anemia

Occurs when there is an inherited

genetic abnormality of an amino acid in

the hemoglobin.

• When blood oxygen levels are low,

cells take on a crescent or sickle

shape.

• Sickle cells tangle in vessels and

cause pain

Sickle Cell Disease

Hemoglobin molecule is off by one

amino acid (genetics)

– Abnormal hemoglobin can crystallize

▪Under low O2 or with dehydration

– Causes sickling of RBC

• When RBCs sickle,

– Often block blood flow through vessels

– Are fragile

– Only survive 10-20 days

– Cause severe pain, even stroke

Transfusion

reaction

Reaction that occurs when a patient is given

a transfusion of the wrong blood type.

• Antibodies in recipient’s blood attack

antigens on the donor erythrocytes.

• Donor erythrocytes undergo hemolysis

• hem/o- = blood

• lysis = destroy

• The recipient experiences flank pain as

fragments of donor erythrocytes clog

kidneys.

• The reaction is life threatening and should

be treated as an emergency.

• trans- = across

• fus/o- = pouring

• -ion = condition

Leukocytes

are white blood cells (WBCs).

–leuk/o- = white

–-cyte = cell

• There are five types of leukocytes

-neutrophil

-eosinophil

-basophil

-lymphocyte

-monocyte

Microorganisms that cause disease are

Pathogens

Leukocytes do what?

attack pathogens and cancer cells

Neutrophils do what?

eat and destroy bacteria.

-Cells that function this way are phagocytes, and the

process is phagocytosis.

-Neutrophils have a short life span during phagocytosis

and are the most abundant leukocyte in the blood (54-

62% of leukocytes

Eonsinophi’s do what?

release chemicals that destroy

foreign cells; chemicals can also kill parasites

Basophils do what?

release histamine that dilates blood

vessels and increases blood flow, bringing more

white cells to the area

Antibodies are produced by?

B cells

Acquired

immunodeficiency

syndrome (AIDS)

Severe infection caused by the human

immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which infects

helper T cells.

• As helper T cells are infected and destroyed,

suppressor T cells dominate.

• When suppressor T cells take over, the

normal immune response is suppressed.

• The patient becomes immunocompromised

and susceptible to opportunistic infections

and cancer

Leukemia

Cancer of the lymphocytes with excessive numbers

of immature leukocytes in red marrow.

• Leads to anemia (too few erythrocytes).

• Leads to hemorrhage (too few thrombocytes).

• Increases susceptibility to infection (too few

mature leukocytes).

• Can occur in adults or children.

• leuk/o- = white

• -emia = condition of the blood

Multiple

myeloma

of the B cell lymphocytes (normally produce

antibodies).

• Causes weakness, anemia, increased infections

Multiple tumors in bone destroy red bone marrow

causing pain and fractures

Mononucleosis

Infectious disease caused by EBV (Epstein-Barr

Virus) that causes lymph node enlargement,

fever, and fatigue.

• mon/o- = one

• nucle/o- = nucleus

• -osis = abnormal condition

Thrombocytes

(platelets)

–thromb/o- = blood clot

–-cyte = cell

• Thrombocytes are crucial to blood clotting.

Deep

venous

thrombosis

(DVT)

A thrombus (blood clot) that forms in a deep vein of the

lower leg.

• Occurs post surgery or during periods of bed rest or

immobility.

• Thrombus can break free and travel through the

bloodstream.

• Can move through the heart and lodge in a pulmonary

artery, causing pulmonary embolism

thromb/o- = blood clot

-osis = abnormal condition

embol/o- = occluding plug

-ism = disease from a specific cause

pulmonary embolism

A blood clot (thrombus)

forms in a deep vein in the

leg, it causes redness,

warmth, and swelling as the

blood flow is impaired and

the tissues become inflamed. A thrombus can break free

and become an embolus

that travels to other parts

of the body (could cause a

pulmonary embolism)

Hemophilia

Inherited genetic condition that causes a

deficiency of clotting factor.

• Injured patients bleed for long periods of time.

• Even minor injuries can cause external or

internal bleeding.

• hem/o- = blood

• phil/o- = fondness for

• -ia = condition

Thrombocytopenia

Deficiency in the number of thrombocytes due to

radiation, chemicals, or drugs that damage marrow.

• Can also occur with leukemia.

• Petechiae (small, pinpoint hemorrhages) and

ecchymoses (larger hemorrhages) are common.

• thromb/o- = blood clot

• cyt/o- = cell

• -penia = condition of deficiency

petechiae = Latin,

freckle or spot

ecchymosis =

Greek, escape of

blood

Hemorrhage

Loss of a large amount of blood due to a

disease or injury; injury is often arterial.

• hem/o- = blood

• -rrhage = excessive discharge/flow

Septicemia

Severe bacterial infection that spreads from

tissue to blood and affects the entire body

• Sepsis is the result of septicemia.

• Bacteria and endotoxins cause severe

symptoms, inflammation, and blood clots.

• Often deadly

• septic/o- = infection

• -emia = condition of the blood

Graft-versus-host disease

(GVHD)

Immune reaction of donor tissue

(graft) against the recipient (host).

• Occurs after bone marrow or

organ transplants.

• Mild symptoms are rash and fever,

but severe symptoms can cause

death.

Lymphadenopathy

Enlargement of the lymph nodes that

can be felt in the neck, armpit, or

groin.

• Occurs with regular infection,

severe infection, and cancer.

• With cancer, can occur in distant

node sites due to metastasis

Lymphedema

Generalized swelling in a limb after removal of

lymph nodes; tissue fluid cannot drain like normal

Elephantiasis

Lymphedema caused by a parasite (most

commonly a nematode, larvae are carried by

mosquitoes)

• Adults thrive in human lymphatic system,

blocking lymph nodes and collecting vessels

Lymphoma

Cancerous tumor of lymph cells, nodes, or tissue

Splenomegaly

Enlargement of the spleen that is felt on

palpation.

• splen/o- = spleen

• -megaly = enlargement

Thymoma

Tumor of the thymus gland that is usually benign;

often occurs with autoimmune disease

Diabetes mellitus, type 1

Affects the pancreas

Graves disease

Affects the thyroid

Hashimoto thyroiditis

Affects the thyroid

Gluten sensitivity

enteropathy

Affects the intestines.

Inflammatory bowel

Affects the intestines.

Multiple sclerosis

Affects the nerves

Myasthenia gravis

Affects the muscles

Psoriasis

Affects the skin.

Scleroderma

Affects the skin and blood vessels

Vitiligo

Affects the skin

Rheumatoid arthritis

Affects the joints

Systemic lupus

erythematosus

Affects the connective tissue, skin, kidneys, lungs

Blood smear

Blood is smeared thinly on a glass slide and

hematoxylin and eosin dyes are applied.

• Physical characteristics of blood cells are

observed under a microscope.

• Performed as a follow up to abnormal

complete blood count (CBC)

Type and

crossmatch

Determines ABO blood type and Rh factor of

recipient and donor blood.

• Recipient’s antibodies are mixed with donor

cells

• If antibodies and cells agglutinate, the two

bloods are NOT compatible.

• ad- = to, glutin = stick together

Blood

donation

Procedure in which a unit of whole blood is collected from

a donor

Blood

transfusion

Procedure in which donor blood is given to a recipient.

• Whole blood corrects blood loss.

• Packed red cells avoid fluid overload.

• Platelets are given for thrombocytopenia or cancer.

• Plasma is given to patients with hemophilia

Complete

blood count

(CBC)

A group of blood tests performed together to determine

number, type, and characteristics of formed elements.

• Also measures hematocrit (= percentage of RBCs

in blood) and hemoglobin

Coagulation time

tests

Measure the length of time it takes blood to clot.

All test results are reported as an international

normalized ratio (INR) no matter the test type

Blood

chemistries

Measure the levels of substances

in the blood.

• Electrolytes

• Albumin

• Total protein

Other Blood Tests

• Glucose

• LDH, total

cholesterol

• Uric acid

(and others

Ferritin

Indirectly measures the amount of

iron stored in the body by

measuring the amount present in

the blood; detects iron deficiency

anemia

Phlebotomy

Procedure to make a small hole in the vein and collect a

blood sample with a vacuum tube.

• phleb/o- = vein

• -tomy = process of cutting or making an incision

Plasmapheresis

Procedure that separates a unit of

donated blood into red cells and plasma

Vaccination

Injection of a dead or weakened pathogen that enables

the body to create antibodies and memory cells to convey

protection on later exposure.

• Scheduled vaccinations give active immunity.

• Other vaccinations provide passive immunity

VACA=cow

Anticoagulants

Prevent blood clots from forming by inhibiting

clotting factors or vitamin K

Corticosteroids

Suppress immune response to decrease

inflammation and organ rejection

Erythropoietin drugs

Stimulate red bone marrow to make

erythrocytes

erythr/o- = red

-poiesis = to make

Immunosuppressant

drugs

Suppress the immune system to prevent organ

rejection

Nucleoside reverse

transcriptase

inhibitor drugs

Retroviral drug for the treatment of HIV

Bone marrow aspiration

Aspiration and removal of red bone

marrow from the hip bone.

• Done to diagnose and monitor

leukemia.

• Done to harvest donor bone marrow

Lymph node biopsy

Removal of tissue from a lymph node

using a fine needle to test for cancer

cells in the node

Stem cell (or

bone marrow)

transplantation

Transplantation of red marrow from a donor.

• Donor and recipient are matched.

• Marrow is harvested from donor.

• Recipient receives treatment to kill cancer cells and

bone marrow cells.

• Marrow is transplanted by IV and migrates to the bone

Lymph node

dissection

Separation of lymph nodes from the surrounding

tissue and removal of nodes from a chain; done to

look for cancer metastasis

Splenectomy

Removal of the spleen after rupture or accident

Thymectomy

Removal of the thymus because of a benign

tumor, cancerous tumor, or myasthenia gravis.

• thym/o- = thymus

• -ectomy = surgical removal

CD4

helper T Cell

CD8

suppressor T Cell

DIC

disseminated intravascular coagulation

DVT

deep venous thrombosis

EBV

Epstein-Barr virus

ELISA

enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

eos

eosinophils (short form)

H&H

hemoglobin and hematocrit

HCT

hematocrit

Hgb

hemoglobin

HIV

human immunodeficiency virus

HLA

human leukocyte antigen

IgA

immunoglobulin A

IgD

immunoglobulin D

IgE

immunoglobulin E

IgG

immunoglobulin G

IgM

immunoglobulin M

INR

international normalized ratio

K+

potassium (an electrolyte)

lymphs

lymphocytes (short form)

mono

mononucleosis (short form)

monos

monocytes (short form)

Na+

sodium (an electrolyte)

O

blood type O in ABO group