Sickle cell is an inherited type of anemia that results in abnormal red blood cells. These abnormal red blood cells are not able to carry oxygen to the body's tissues because they are rigid, sticky and shaped like crescent moons instead of being...
Vitamin B-12, also called cobalamin, is needed to make DNA, nerve tissue and red blood cells. Lack of vitamin B-12 or its absorption eventually causes abnormal red blood cell development. The spleen functions to filter the blood and remove dead...
Trimethoprim is an antibiotic used to treat urinary tract infections, pneumonia and traveler's diarrhea, according to Medline Plus. Trimethoprim is available as a tablet and is usually taken once or twice a day. If you are taking trimethoprim, it...
Blood contains a liquid portion, known as plasma, which consists of 90 percent water, according to the Franklin Institute. The plasma functions to carry the different types of blood cells, including red cells that carry oxygen, white cells that...
Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, is important for the processing of carbohydrates, proteins and fats into glucose that can be utilized by the body. Vitamin B12 is naturally found only in animal foods such as milk, dairy products, eggs, meat, fish and...
Vitamin B-12 is a water soluble vitamin important for proper formation of red blood cells, repair of tissues and cells and DNA synthesis, according to Lab Tests Online. Adults require 2.4 mg of vitamin B-12 per day to ensure the body functions...
Vitamin B12 also known as cobalamin is a B-complex vitamin that is mainly found in animal foods such as red meat, fish, chicken, turkey and milk. Vitamin B12 is also added in processed foods such as breakfast cereals. Geriatrics are at risk for...
Vitamin B-12 is a water-soluble B-complex vitamin. It is naturally present in eggs, meat, poultry, shellfish, milk and milk products. B-12 is not naturally found in plant foods and strict vegetarians are at high risk for a B-12 deficiency,...
People with megaloblastic anemia have abnormal red blood cells because they have a deficiency in either folic acid or vitamin B12. The red blood cells are macrocytic, or abnormally large, due to a problem making DNA. If they are anemic because of...
A cell mutation is an accidental change in the genetic code, or DNA. Most mutations cause a protein to be missing or malformed. Some genetic mutations are inherited, while others occur as a result of environmental factors, such as UV radiation,...
Gallstones crystals, the concretions of mineral salts, are formed by the precipitation of bile containing cholesterol and bilirubin in the gallbladder, an organ that stores bile, or biliary passages. Bile made by the liver is stored temporarily in...
All of the body’s bones have a soft, fatty tissue inside them called bone marrow. Normally, the bone marrow makes blood stem cells, or immature cells that develop into mature blood cells over time. Stem cells in the bone marrow produce blood...
Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin that is necessary for DNA synthesis, red blood cell production and maintenance of healthy nerve cells. Vitamin B12 is naturally found in animal foods such as milk, dairy products,...
The spleen is an oval shaped organ located on the left side of the body just under the ribcage. As part of the lymphatic system, the spleen produces white cells to fight infection. It also filters the blood, and destroys old, or abnormal red blood...
Hematocrit and hemoglobin, referred to as HCT and HGB, are components of red blood cells. The Mayo Clinic defines hematocrit as the number of red blood cells in a specified amount of blood. The Mayo Clinic defines hemoglobin as a protein molecule...
Chronic myelogenous leukemia is a cancer that originates in the bone marrow, the soft tissue found within bones that aids in blood cell formation. Chronic myelogenous leukemia targets cells that will eventually produce white blood cells, according...
Vitamin B12, also referred to as cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin that plays a role in many important bodily functions. Given its importance, vitamin B12 deficiency can be particularly worrying, potentially leading to a number of health...
Vitamin B-12 produces and maintains red blood cells, nerve cell function and DNA. It is also used to produce energy by converting proteins and fats into adenosine triphosphate, the molecule that stores energy. Vitamin B-12 deficiency can cause...
Red blood cells are important for the transport of oxygen-rich blood to body tissues and removal of carbon dioxide from the body. Red blood cells are red because they contain an iron-rich protein known as hemoglobin, which is bright red in color....
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27,555 people died from chronic liver disease in 2006. The liver is a very important organ, with more than 200 functions. Thus, any disorder that causes severe liver damage is...
Anemia is a disease in which the body cannot produce enough red blood cells. There are several types of anemia; many of them are a result of various vitamin or mineral deficiencies. Pernicious anemia is the most common type and it is caused by...
Cirrhosis of the liver is one of the main causes of death throughout the world, according to Eldon Shafffer, M.D., professor of medicine at the University of Calgary in "The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals." Cirrhosis is the last stage...
Vitamin B-12, a B complex vitamin, helps your body produce energy from food. It helps your nervous system to function and it keeps your hair, skin, liver and eyes healthy. It is naturally found in animal-based products such as fish, eggs, milk,...
Red blood cells take oxygen from the lungs and distribute it to all of the tissues and organs in the body. Having less red blood cells, therefore, means having less oxygen. With an abnormally low number of these blood cells, people become anemic....
As of 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 90,000 to 100,000 people have sickle cell anemia, a genetic disease that involves abnormal red blood cells. People with this disorder have red blood cells that...
Found frequently in populations with African or Mediterranean ancestry, sickle cell anemia is a hereditary disease in which the body makes sickle-shaped rather than regular, disc-shaped red blood cells. These abnormal red blood cells carry less...
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), including myelodysplastic syndrome associated with isolated del(5q), or MDS del(5q), occur when a problem in the bone marrow prevents the production of normal blood cells so that immature or dysfunctional blood...
Sickle cell disease interferes with hemoglobin production, the part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen, and causes red blood cells to change shape. The altered shape resembles a sickle or letter C. The abnormal red blood cells die early,...
Genetic disorders are caused by a defect in a gene, which is a specific piece of DNA (the building block of the genetic code) in a specific location on a chromosome. Recessive genetic disorders are diseases that require two defective genes,...
Sickle cell anemia is a blood disorder that results in decreased blood and oxygen flow. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments for Sickle Cell Anemia in this video.
