A 2-way miRror of red blood cells and leukemia

Red blood cells  (RBCs) transport oxygen to all body tissues. These cells survive only for 120 days and then need to be replenished. Erythropoiesis is the process of RBC production. In healthy individuals, erythropoiesis ensures all tissues are amply supplied with oxygen. In addition, blood loss due to injury leads to a drop in the physiological oxygen level that will cause erythropoiesis. Any defect in erythropoiesis leads to several physiological disorders, including thalassemia, anemia, and...

Erythrocytes, also known as red blood cells, constantly move through blood capillaries. As a result, they damage their plasma membrane due to the continuous friction. Typically, after 100 to 120 days, erythrocytes become rigid and fragile as they wear out. As they pass through small vessels in the spleen and liver, they can get trapped and break apart into fragments.
The resident phagocytic macrophages deal with these damaged cells by engulfing them and separating their globin and heme groups.

Disorders of erythrocytes, or red blood cells (RBCs), include a range of conditions affecting their number, shape, or function.
Erythrocyte disorders can be broadly categorized into two main types: anemic and polycythemic conditions.
A low oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood due to the loss, lower production, or destruction of erythrocytes is termed anemia. Hemorrhagic anemia, for example, occurs when bleeding from an external wound or internal ulcer reduces erythrocyte counts.
On the other...

An adult in good health typically has between 4,500 and 11,000 leukocytes, or white blood cells, per microliter of blood, which constitutes about 1% of the total blood volume. Unlike red blood cells, white blood cells contain a nucleus and other cellular organelles but do not have hemoglobin. Most white blood cells reside in connective tissues, particularly in lymphatic organs such as the lymph nodes, with only a small fraction present in circulating blood.
White blood cells protect the body...

Leukocyte disorders can lead to either leukopenia, characterized by an abnormally low leukocyte count, or leukocytosis, marked by a very high leukocyte number.
Leukopenia may result from bone marrow disorders, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases. For example, conditions such as multiple myeloma and aplastic anemia can impair the bone marrow's ability to produce adequate leukocytes. Similarly, autoimmune diseases like lupus and viral infections such as HIV can prompt the immune system...

Bone marrow transplant is a potential cure for several diseases, including cancer and specific genetic disorders. Notably, this procedure is applicable for patients suffering from aplastic anemia, certain types of leukemia, severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID), Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma, thalassemia, sickle-cell disease, and certain cancers.
The transplant begins with high doses of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, which aim to destroy the...