Blood and Circulatory Disorders Sourcebook

Omnigraphics' Health Reference Series is designed for the general reader seeking guidance on how to avoid serious illness by following preventive lifestyles and recognizing early warning signs. It also supports the layperson who has received a diagnosis of a serious disease or disorder as well as the family member or nonprofessional caregiver who must learn to care and to cope with the illness. Each volume in the series deals comprehensively with a particular area of medical concern and contains material found in publications issued by the National Institutes of Health and other agencies and associations. Nowhere else can general readers find this information conveniently collected, coordinated, and indexed in book form.

Blood plays many important roles in the human body. It carries oxygen and nutrients to the body's cells, helps fight infection, and works to heal wounds. When a disorder inhibits its ability to meet the body's needs or prevents blood from flowing or coagulating properly, a myriad of problems can result. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, nearly a quarter million deaths per year in the United States---approximately nine percent of all U.S. deaths---are attributable to blood diseases.

Blood and Circulatory Disorders Sourcebook, Third Edition offers facts about blood function and composition, the maintenance of a healthy circulatory system, and the types of concerns that arise when processes go awry. It discusses the diagnosis and treatment of many common blood cell disorders, bleeding disorders, and circulatory disorders, including anemia, hemochromatosis, leukemia, lymphoma, hemophilia, hypercoagulation, thrombophilia, atherosclerosis, blood pressure irregularities, coronary artery and heart disease, and peripheral vascular disease. Blood donation, cord blood banking, blood transfusions, and bone marrow and stem cell transplants are also discussed. The book concludes with a glossary of related terms and a list of resources for further help and information.

This volume is a new edition of a title in the Health Reference Series, which compiles government and other publications into a convenient form for consumer-health collections. Blood and Circulatory Disorders Sourcebook provides material on anemia, leukemia, lymphoma, hemophilia, and more as well as information on blood types, blood donation, bone-marrow transplants, and other topics. Also here are a glossary and a directory of resources. --Mary Ellen Quinn