Blood Disorders and Related Conditions

Blood Disorders

• Anaemia: a condition where the body does not have enough red blood cells or haemoglobin, leading to fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath
  • Causes: blood loss, bone marrow problems, chronic disease, and nutritional deficiencies
  • Symptoms: pale skin, weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness
• Blood Clotting Disorders: conditions that affect the body's ability to form blood clots, leading to excessive bleeding or bruising
  • Causes: genetic mutations, vitamin K deficiency, liver disease, and certain medications
  • Symptoms: easy bruising, frequent nosebleeds, heavy menstrual bleeding
• Haemophilia: a genetic disorder that affects the blood's ability to clot, leading to prolonged bleeding after injury
  • Causes: genetic mutations, mainly affecting males
  • Symptoms: prolonged bleeding, easy bruising, joint pain and swelling

Cancer Immunology

• Cancer and the Immune System: the immune system's role in fighting cancer, including recognition and elimination of cancer cells
• Immune Escape Mechanisms: ways in which cancer cells evade the immune system, including antigen presentation, immune suppression, and immune modulation
• Cancer Immunotherapy: treatments that harness the immune system to fight cancer, including checkpoint inhibitors, cancer vaccines, and adoptive T-cell therapy

Autoimmune Diseases

• Definition: conditions where the immune system mistakenly attacks and damages the body's own tissues and organs
• Examples:
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis: inflammation of the joints, leading to pain, stiffness, and swelling
  • Lupus: inflammation of various tissues, including skin, joints, and organs
  • Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: inflammation of the thyroid gland, leading to hypothyroidism
• Causes: genetic predisposition, environmental triggers, and hormonal influences

Immune System Function

• Primary Functions:
  • Recognition: recognizing and distinguishing between self and non-self antigens
  • Elimination: eliminating pathogens and foreign substances from the body
  • Memory: remembering specific pathogens to mount a rapid response upon future encounters
• Immune Cells:
  • T Cells: recognizing and eliminating infected cells and presenting antigens to other immune cells
  • B Cells: producing antibodies to neutralize pathogens
  • Dendritic Cells: presenting antigens to T cells and activating an immune response
• Immune Response: the body's response to infection or disease, involving activation of immune cells, production of antibodies, and inflammation

Blood Disorders

• Anaemia: a condition characterized by a lack of red blood cells or haemoglobin, leading to fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath
• Causes of Anaemia: blood loss, bone marrow problems, chronic disease, and nutritional deficiencies
• Symptoms of Anaemia: pale skin, weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath, and dizziness
• Blood Clotting Disorders: conditions affecting the body's ability to form blood clots, leading to excessive bleeding or bruising
• Causes of Blood Clotting Disorders: genetic mutations, vitamin K deficiency, liver disease, and certain medications
• Symptoms of Blood Clotting Disorders: easy bruising, frequent nosebleeds, and heavy menstrual bleeding
• Haemophilia: a genetic disorder affecting the blood's ability to clot, leading to prolonged bleeding after injury
• Causes of Haemophilia: genetic mutations, mainly affecting males
• Symptoms of Haemophilia: prolonged bleeding, easy bruising, joint pain, and swelling

Cancer Immunology

• Cancer and the Immune System: the immune system's role in fighting cancer, including recognition and elimination of cancer cells
• Immune Escape Mechanisms: ways in which cancer cells evade the immune system, including antigen presentation, immune suppression, and immune modulation
• Cancer Immunotherapy: treatments harnessing the immune system to fight cancer, including checkpoint inhibitors, cancer vaccines, and adoptive T-cell therapy

Autoimmune Diseases

• Definition: conditions where the immune system mistakenly attacks and damages the body's own tissues and organs
• Examples of Autoimmune Diseases:
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis: inflammation of the joints, leading to pain, stiffness, and swelling
  • Lupus: inflammation of various tissues, including skin, joints, and organs
  • Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: inflammation of the thyroid gland, leading to hypothyroidism
• Causes of Autoimmune Diseases: genetic predisposition, environmental triggers, and hormonal influences

Immune System Function

• Primary Functions of the Immune System:
  • Recognition: recognizing and distinguishing between self and non-self antigens
  • Elimination: eliminating pathogens and foreign substances from the body
  • Memory: remembering specific pathogens to mount a rapid response upon future encounters
• Immune Cells:
  • T Cells: recognizing and eliminating infected cells and presenting antigens to other immune cells
  • B Cells: producing antibodies to neutralize pathogens
  • Dendritic Cells: presenting antigens to T cells and activating an immune response
• Immune Response: the body's response to infection or disease, involving activation of immune cells, production of antibodies, and inflammation

Blood Disorders

• Anaemia is characterized by a decrease in red blood cells or haemoglobin in the blood
• Symptoms of anaemia include fatigue, pale skin, and shortness of breath
• Causes of anaemia include iron deficiency, vitamin deficiency, chronic disease, and blood loss

Bleeding Disorders

• Haemophilia is a genetic disorder that affects blood clotting
• Von Willebrand disease is an inherited bleeding disorder that affects blood clotting
• Symptoms of bleeding disorders include easy bruising and prolonged bleeding

Blood Clotting Disorders

• Thrombophilia is a condition that increases the risk of blood clots
• Symptoms of thrombophilia include deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism

Immune System Function

Primary Functions

• The immune system recognizes and eliminates pathogens
• The immune system removes foreign substances and dead cells
• The immune system maintains tissue integrity

Immune Response

• Innate immunity provides an immediate, non-specific response to pathogens
• Adaptive immunity provides a delayed, specific response to pathogens
• Activation of immune cells involves dendritic cells, T cells, and B cells

Cancer Immunology

Cancer and the Immune System

• Cancer cells can evade detection by the immune system
• The immune system can recognize and eliminate cancer cells
• Cancer immunotherapy harnesses the immune system to fight cancer

Immunological Responses to Cancer

• Tumor-specific antigens are targeted by the immune system
• Immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4, are used to treat cancer

Autoimmune Diseases

Definition

• Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system attacks healthy cells and tissues
• Causes of autoimmune diseases include genetic, environmental, and hormonal factors

Examples of Autoimmune Diseases

• Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the joints
• Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic inflammatory disease of multiple tissues
• Hashimoto's thyroiditis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the thyroid gland
• Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system