Overview
The medical field of hematology – the science of blood – deals with all pathological changes in the blood, with the underlying causes as well as with the resulting symptoms.
Differentiation
Hematooncology deals with the different types of blood cancer (leukemia) and related diseases such as haematopoietic disorders in the bone marrow, as well as malignant (malignant) lymph node changes. Hemostaseology treats pathological changes in blood coagulation, distinguishing between those with a tendency to bleed (hemorrhagic diathesis) – i.e. too little coagulation – and those with an excessive tendency to coagulate (thrombophilia) – i.e. too much coagulation.
A reduced coagulability of the blood leads to blood loss due to only slowly stopped internal and external bleeding, which, depending on its severity, is caused by minor injuries (minor trauma) or even without external influence. Overcoagulability of the blood leads to the formation and maintenance of clots (thrombi) in the bloodstream, which can then block vessels either locally or after being carried along with the bloodstream (thrombus embolism), thus preventing the supply of the downstream tissue. The third field of work – without a specific name – is research into and the diagnosis and treatment of anemia.
However, this is often not – as the name misleadingly suggests – too little blood in general, but rather an insufficient transport capacity of the blood for oxygen. Anemia is therefore the inability of the blood to supply the body with sufficient oxygen, despite sufficient pumping capacity of the heart and functioning lungs. Ultimately, the assessment of defense-related (immunological) changes in the blood, such as changes in the concentration of defense cells (leukocytes) and acute phase proteins, also falls within this sub-area of medical teaching and research. In medical practice, however, a strict subdivision of these subgroups of hematology is often only of limited use, since many (common) diseases, such as acute and chronic blood cancers (leukemias) can also cause anemia, changes in blood clotting and in the amount of defense cells (leukocytes) and acute-phase proteins.