Diseases of the Red Blood Cells
The most common condition affecting the red blood cells of children and adolescents is anemia (pronounced: uh-nee-mee-uh), a lower-than-normal number of red cells in the blood. Anemia is accompanied by a decrease in the amount of hemoglobin present in the blood. The symptoms of anemia - such as pale skin, weakness, a fast heart rate, and poor growth in infants and children - happen because of the blood's reduced capacity for carrying oxygen. The causes of anemia can be grouped into two main categories: those due to inadequate production of red blood cells and those due to unusually rapid red blood cell destruction. In more severe cases of chronic anemia, as well as when a large amount of blood is lost, a child or teen may need a transfusion of red blood cells or whole blood.
- Anemia resulting from inadequate red blood cell production
There are several conditions that can cause a reduced production of red blood cells, including:- Iron deficiency anemia. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia and affects kids and teens of any age who have a diet low in iron or who've lost a lot of red blood cells (and the iron they contain) through bleeding. Premature babies, infants with poor nutrition, menstruating teenage girls, and those with ongoing blood loss due to illnesses such as inflammatory bowel disease are especially likely to have iron deficiency anemia.
Diseases of the White Blood Cells
- Neutropenia (pronounced: noo-truh-pee-nee-uh) occurs when there aren't enough of a certain type of white blood cell to protect the body against bacterial infections. People who take certain chemotherapy drugs to treat cancer may develop neutropenia.
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks certain types of white blood cells (lymphocytes) that work to fight infection. Infection with the virus can result in AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), leaving the body prone to infections and certain other diseases. Newborns can become infected with the virus from their infected mothers while in the uterus, during birth, or from breastfeeding, although HIV infection of the fetus and newborn is usually preventable with proper medical treatment of the mother during pregnancy and delivery. Teens and adults can get the disease from sexual intercourse with an infected person or from sharing contaminated needles used for injecting drugs or tattoo ink.
Diseases of the Clotting SystemThe body's clotting system depends on platelets as well as many clotting factors and other blood components. If a hereditary defect affects any of these components, a child can have a bleeding disorder. Some of the most common bleeding disorders are:
- Iron deficiency anemia. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia and affects kids and teens of any age who have a diet low in iron or who've lost a lot of red blood cells (and the iron they contain) through bleeding. Premature babies, infants with poor nutrition, menstruating teenage girls, and those with ongoing blood loss due to illnesses such as inflammatory bowel disease are especially likely to have iron deficiency anemia.
- Hemophilia (pronounced: hee-muh-fil-ee-uh), an inherited condition that almost exclusively affects boys, involves a lack of particular clotting factors in the blood. People with severe hemophilia are at risk for excessive bleeding and bruising after dental work, surgery, and trauma. They may experience episodes of life-threatening internal bleeding, even if they haven't been injured.
- Von Willebrand disease, the most common hereditary bleeding disorder, also involves a clotting-factor deficiency. It affects both males and females.
