White and red blood cells are something that confuse many people. We have more red blood cells than any other kind in our bodies. Red blood cells are what carry oxygen around our body. However, they also get rid of the carbon dioxide that is in our body as well. White blood cells are just as important as they are what help us fight off diseases. Today we are looking at different types of blood diseases that affect both red and white blood cells.

Understanding the Different Types of Blood Disease

If you have any concerns about blood disorders, you should always check with your doctor. Here are some of the more "common” issues that involve white and red blood cells, the platelets and plasma.

Red Blood Cells

Red blood cells are what carry oxygen around your body, here are some of the most common red blood cell diseases.

• Anemia: The most common kind of anemia is iron deficiency anemia which causes your body to not produce enough iron. Tiredness and shortness of breath are the main symptoms here. However, when people talk about anemia, there are many different types such as pernicious, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, sickle cell, and aplastic anemia.

• Thalassemia: Thalassemia is a type of blood disorder that is passed on through generations. Basically, your red blood cells do not have enough hemoglobin which can result in disorders such as an enlarged spleen, issues with your heart, bone deformities and in children, issues with their growth.

• Polycythemia Vera: Here we have one of the more nasty blood diseases. You are at risk of blood clots which can lead to strokes and even heart attacks. Polycythemia Vera is when your bone marrow is going into overtime, making far too many red blood cells which causes your blood to severely thicken.

White Blood Cells

Issues with the immune system are most likely the result of a problem with white blood cells.

• Lymphoma: Chances are you have heard of Hodgkin's Lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. This is where your white blood cells grow in an uncontrolled manner. Lymphoma is actually a form of blood cancer.

• Leukemia: Leukemia is one of the more common words that you will notice on this list. Leukemia is when your bone marrow has malignant white blood cells producing inside it. Many great advances have been made in recent years in the treatment of leukemia and catching it early is the key.

• Myelodysplastic Syndrome: This may sound like something you have never heard of, but it is more commonly referred to as MDS. MDS makes your body produce far too many immature cells in your bone marrow. These multiply at an accelerated rate, causing the healthy (more mature) cells to be outnumbered. This can actually lead to leukemia.

Platelets

When you get a cut and the blood clots, platelets are what you have to thank.

• Essential Thrombocytosis: Platelets being overproduced is what Essential Thrombocytosis does. What makes this one of the more dangerous blood disorders is the fact that it can result in blood clotting.

• Thrombocytopenia: It is the platelets that come together to help us out when we have a cut by clotting together. Thrombocytopenia is a low platelet count, and a low platelet count means that your body has a much harder time clotting to stop bleeding.

• Hemophilia: Hemophilia is a common blood disease and something you probably have heard of. Excessive and prolonged bleeding is what this is, but it is not just bleeding on the outside of the body. Hemophilia can also lead to internal bleeding. Interestingly, Hemophilia is far more common in males.

Blood Plasma

Plasma cells are a vital part of our body's first line of defense against infection.

• Von Willebrand Disease: Von Willebrand Disease is a disease that you will have inherited and chances are you may not even know that you have it. There is a protein in our blood called von Willebrand factor. This disease causes our body to not make enough of the protein or make it in a way that is inferior. Excessive bleeding is the main symptom of this, but many people never even realize they have it!

• Hypercoagulable State: You may have heard of people taking "blood thinning medication”. Hypercoagulable State is most likely the cause of this. It is when the blood clots far too easily and requires medication to thin it out.

• Hemophilia: Once again hemophilia appears on our list. This is one of the most common blood diseases. As we said, it is when your body struggles to stop bleeding in a timely manner. It is important to note that there are many forms of hemophilia and that your doctor will be able to tell you how severe or mild yours is.

The Best Treatments for Blood Disorders

If you feel that you have any kind of symptoms that may be as a result of some kind of disease or disorder with your blood, seek medical advice right away. It can be so easy to put it off and say "oh I will be fine”. However, this is a big mistake as catching these early is often the best way to fight them off. When you see a doctor, you will have two options for treatments.

Medication

If possible, your doctor will prescribe you medication that is going to help get whatever your issue is under control. Many people these days take medication for their blood, so there is nothing to worry about.

Surgery

In a more serious situation, surgery may be required. Once again, many advances have been made in recent years. Therefore, if you have anything that you consider to be a symptom of blood problems, see your doctor as soon as possible.

Taking Care of Your Blood

As we have said a few times now, getting to the doctor as early as possible is the best thing you can do. It may turn out to be nothing, but if you can get it diagnosed by a medical professional as quickly as possible you can start to treat it right away and know what you need to do. Our white and red blood cells are complex things, actually, our blood in general is our life source. Knowing a little bit about how it works will help you know when you need to see a doctor.