1. Management is for Life
Most blood diseases (hematological diseases) should be thought of as diseases that can be controlled rather than diseases that can be cured. There are reports of long-term remission in some leukemia patients, as well as a small percentage of people who can be considered cured after a complete removal of the spleen. For the most part, though, life with an incurable blood disease will mean close monitoring of one's health and certain precautions. Precautions are often far-reaching and will affect much of a person's life. It can be helpful to take advantage of all the community resources available (including support groups and home health services) if you're diagnosed with incurable blood disease.
2. Heredity Can Play a Large Part
Most incurable blood diseases are inherited. Diseases that come programmed into your genes are impossible to cure; the best you can hope for is successful management of these conditions. Incurable blood diseases range from quite serious afflictions, like hemophilia, that require you to structure your life in certain ways to less serious problems, such as asymptomatic hypercoagulability. Hereditary blood diseases include spherocytosis, elliptocytosis, thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia and Von Willebrand's disease.
3. Leukemia is Treatable
Perhaps the diagnosis among blood disorders that provokes the most fear is leukemia. Leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood that is sometimes incurable. In some cases, it can be treated until the disease enters remission. There are four basic types of leukemia: acute lymphocytic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute myelocytic leukemia and chronic myelocytic leukemia. There are some established links between environmental factors and leukemia, but the full extent of factors that cause it remain unknown.
4. Drugs Can Affect Your Blood
Some incurable blood diseases, notably hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia, occur due to overuse of certain pharmaceuticals that are prescribed for completely different reasons. In particular, penicillin-based drugs and methyldopa can cause hemolytic anemia; quinine and thiazide-based diuretics can provoke thrombocytopenia.
5. Symptoms are Predictable
Incurable blood diseases tend to share a certain group of symptoms with variations depending on which aspect of the blood is affected. First symptoms include bruising or bleeding, unexplained fevers, night sweats, fatigue, frequent infections and weight loss. To confirm any diagnosis, see your doctor and have a complete blood count or CBC drawn and analyzed. This will render a relatively complete hematological picture of what is happening in your body and dictate whether your doctor should order more tests.
