Blood Disorders

Get high-quality care for blood disorders from the hematologists at Adventist HealthCare in Maryland.

What’s a Hematologist?

A hematologist is a doctor with advanced training to diagnose, treat and manage conditions that effect the:

• Blood, which is made up of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets
• Bone Marrow, which is the connective tissue inside bones
• Lymphatic vessels, including the lymph nodes

Blood & Bone Marrow Conditions

Rely on the hematology experts at Adventist HealthCare to treat conditions including:

• Anemia – Red blood cell disorder caused by the lack of mineral iron in the blood. There are many types of anemia, including iron deficiency anemia, pernicious anemia, aplastic anemia, autoimmune hemolytic anemia and sickle cell anemia.
• Hemophilia – Blood disorder when blood does not clot normally, making it hard for bleeding to stop. Hemophilia usually runs in families and almost always affects males.
• Lymphoma – Blood cancer that occurs within the body’s lymphatic system when the white blood cells grow out of control. There are two major types of lymphoma: Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
• Myelofibrosis (MF) – Disease in which abnormal blood cells and fibers build up within the bone marrow.
• Polycythemia vera (PV) – Disease in which too may red blood cells are made in the bone marrow.
• Thalassemia – Blood disorder passed down from family members prevents the healthy production of hemoglobin.
• Von Willebrand’s Disease – Blood disorder that makes it hard for clots to form, so people bleed for a longer time than usual.

Blood & Bone Marrow Cancers

Trust your care to cancer experts with experience treating:

• Hodgkin’s lymphoma – Cancer that begins in the immune system when white blood cells become abnormal or grow quickly out of control and form tumors. Hodgkin’s lymphomas have Reed-Sternberg cells that within their lymph nodes.

• Leukemia – Blood cancer that occurs when malignant white blood cells grow quickly within the body’s bone marrow, pushing out the body’s healthy cells.
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma – Cancer that begins in the immune system when white blood cells become abnormal or grow quickly out of control and form tumors. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma do not have the Reed-Sternberg cells that Hodgkin’s lymphoma does.

Blood Disorder Treatments

Your doctor may recommend:

• Lumbar Puncture (Spinal Tap); A procedure to collect and analyze fluid around the brain and spinal cord.
• Phlebotomy; A procedure that removes blood from the body to decrease red blood cell levels.
• Platelet Apheresis; A treatment that uses a special machine to remove platelets from the blood.

Blood Cancer Treatments

Your doctor may recommend:

• Allogenic transplant – When you receive healthy blood cells from a donor.
• Autologous Stem Cell Transplant – When your own healthy blood cells are collected and given back to you after chemotherapy or radiation.
• Biologic Therapy – A treatment that uses living substances to treat cancer or side effects of cancer treatments.
• Chemotherapy – Cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing.
• Radiation Therapy – Cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing.
• Splenectomy – Surgery to remove the spleen if swollen too large.
• Transfusion Therapy – Method of giving red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets to replace blood cells destroyed by disease or cancer treatment.
• Targeted Drug Therapy – Type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances to identify and attack specific cancer cells without harming normal cells.