One of the functions of the blood is to supply oxygen and nutrients to every tissue in our body, therefore, diseases affecting the blood might affect or have consequences to our whole body, according to health experts.
For this reason, they note that it is important to have basic knowledge of blood disorders and consequences on other key organs like the heart, liver, kidneys and brain.
Lt Col Fabien Ntaganda, a consultant haematopathologist at Rwanda Military Hospital, Kanombe, says when something is wrong with one’s blood, it can affect their overall health.
And this is why it is important for one to know about some of the common blood disorders that may affect them.
He says one may be affected by many different types of blood conditions and blood cancers.
What are the main common blood disorders?
The main common blood disorders include anaemia, bleeding disorders such as haemophilia, blood clots, and blood cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.
For iron deficiency anaemia, the global magnitude of iron deficiency anaemia is estimated at a third of the entire of the world’s population, resulting in consequences like death.
Ntaganda says the cause of iron-deficiency anaemia varies based on age, gender, and socioeconomic status.
"Iron deficiency may result from insufficient iron intake, decreased absorption, or blood loss. Without enough iron, the body can’t produce enough of a substance in red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen (haemoglobin),” he says.
The confirmation diagnosis of iron deficiency, he says, follows a series of tests that include full blood counts, level of iron.
Besides, he adds, that diagnosis also includes Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (GI) abdominal scan, and bone marrow examination.
The treatment, he says, includes handling the underlying causes, iron supplementation therapy, using a variety of medications oral or intravenous.
Multiple myeloma
Ntaganda says this is a common blood malignancy in Rwanda, affecting even young patients and the second most common haematological malignancy worldwide.
Haematological malignancy is cancer that begins in blood-forming tissue, such as the bone marrow, or in the cells of the immune system.
Clinically, he says, it’s characterised by bony pain, anaemia hypercalcemia, and renal impairment.
The diagnosis is done through a combination of tests, including bone marrow biopsy, and serum electrophoresis.
The treatment is also a combination of chemo, radiotherapy, bone marrow transplantation, surgery as well as CAR T cell therapy
CAR T-cell therapy is a form of immunotherapy that uses specially altered T cells — a part of the immune system — to fight cancer.
Challenges and way forward
Ntaganda says most of the treatments for haematological malignancies are not available in Rwanda.
Dr Janivier Ntezirizaza, a general practitioner at La Nouvelle Clinic in Remera, Kigali, says bone marrow transplantation offers a therapeutic solution to a variety of cancers and other clinical conditions.
There is as well CAR T cell therapy, which is relatively a new and promising treatment for a variety of cancers, again not available in Rwanda.
Under this therapy (CAR T-cell), Ntaganda explains that the T cells (immune cells of the patient) are collected from the patient and modified in the laboratory by adding a gene.
"The new T cells with a specific receptor (chimeric) are infused in the patient and are able to attack cancer. Currently, so many efforts are done to improve the safety and approval of the medication,” he says.
Presently, Ntaganda says, there are many efforts to improve the toxicity of CAR T-cell therapy, mainly like Cytokine release syndrome, target of health cells resulting in the destruction of normal tissues and lymphocytes depletion and neurotoxicity.
"These complications should be recognised quickly and treated as soon as possible to improve the patient outcome,” he says.
Problem-solving remains a challenge as well due to the availability and affordability of some confirmation tests, because most of haematological cancers have genetic abnormalities, Ntaganda says.