Certain types of benign (noncancerous) hematology (blood) disorders may put you at a higher risk for excessive bleeding or blood clots. And with the possibility of complications like these, living with one of these blood conditions can often feel anything but benign.
When you’ve been diagnosed with a benign hematology disorder, you need a team of expert healthcare providers on your side. Cleveland Clinic’s hematology team cares for many different blood conditions. They make sure you get the right diagnosis, the latest treatments and the ongoing care you need to stay safe and healthy.
Why Choose Cleveland Clinic for Noncancerous Blood Disorder Care?
Collaborative care:
We believe in a team-based approach at Cleveland Clinic. This means you’ll get care from many different healthcare providers from many different specialties. Each of these providers works together to find out what’s going on and give you highly personalized care.
Innovation and research:
We participate in research and clinical trials to stay on top of what’s happening in blood disorder care. At Cleveland Clinic, you may be able to take part in the latest therapies that may not be widely available.
Specialized knowledge:
We treat many uncommon benign hematology disorders. Hematology patients come to us from all over the country for care they can’t find elsewhere. Meet our team.
Personalized care:
Our experts take the time to learn how a blood condition affects your life. We build a treatment plan around you, your health and your needs. And we make sure it helps make day-to-day living easier and reduces your risk of serious complications.
Virtual visits:
When you don’t feel well, leaving home to go to your provider’s office can seem like a big task. That’s why we offer virtual visits. This safe and convenient alternative to an in-person appointment, lets you meet with your care team from the comfort of your home. All you need is a smartphone, tablet or computer.
National recognition:
Cleveland Clinic is a trusted healthcare leader. We're recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for our expertise and care.
Diagnosing Benign Hematology Disorders at Cleveland Clinic
When you have a benign hematology disorder, it means your blood doesn’t do its job. And then you can have high and low blood cell counts, bleeding disorders and blood clotting disorders, platelet and protein disorders and bone marrow problems. Some of these include:
- Antiphospholipid syndrome.
- Anemia.
- Iron-deficiency anemia.
- Pernicious anemia.
- Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (warm and cold types).
- Hemophilia.
- Leukocytosis.
- Leukopenia.
- Polycythemia vera.
- Thalassemia.
- Thrombocytopenia.
- Thrombocytosis.
- Thrombophilia.
- Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).
- Von Willebrand disease.
- Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP).
- Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
You may have inherited (been born with) a noncancerous blood condition. Or maybe another condition causes problems with your blood (acquired). Not all blood disorders have symptoms or need treatment. But others are lifelong conditions — and some of them can be serious.
No matter what type of blood condition you may have, one thing is certain — you’ll want the best healthcare providers with a lot of experience in diagnosing and treating it.
What to expect at your first visit
Your hematology care team will want to find and diagnose any blood conditions as quickly as possible. The sooner they do this, the more effective treatment may be. But before we start testing, we take an important first step — getting to know you.
We’ll ask how you’re feeling, how long you’ve been feeling that way and how your symptoms are affecting your life. We’ll also want to know if anyone in your family has a benign hematology condition. By understanding your story, we can better plan treatment that works for you and your goals.
After we talk things over, you can expect to get a physical exam. We want to check for common signs of blood disorders, like bruising, weakness, fever or shortness of breath. And then we might order a few tests to help us confirm a benign hematology disorder diagnosis. These may include:
Blood cell tests
Your red blood cells carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body and return carbon dioxide waste to your lungs for you to exhale (breathe out). Your providers will do tests to see how many red blood cells you have (red blood cell count) and what they look like. You may have a:
We’ll also take a look at your white blood cells. These cells help protect your body against infection. There are different types of them with different jobs. We’ll do a complete blood count to check out your white blood cells.
Other blood cells called platelets help your blood clot and control bleeding. If we think you may have a blood condition, we may do some of these tests to see what’s going on with your platelets. These tests can include:
- Platelet count.
- Mean platelet volume (MPV) test.
- Peripheral blood smear (PBS).
- Immature platelet fraction.
- Platelet aggregation studies.
- Platelet function screening.
- Platelet flow cytometry.
Other tests
Your provider may do a bone marrow biopsy if we see anything that doesn’t look right in your blood tests. We’ll remove a sample of bone marrow with a needle. Then, a pathologist looks at it under a microscope to check for signs of cancer and other diseases.
We may also do imaging tests like a CT scan, MRI or ultrasound to make sure you don’t have any blood clots or tumors.
Meet Our Noncancerous Blood Disorder Team
Your Cleveland Clinic care team will include different healthcare providers from different specialties. They’ll work together to give you expert, compassionate care that’s personalized for you. Our skilled hematologists and your primary care provider will lead your team, which could also include:
- Phlebotomists.
- Pathologists.
- Genetic counselors.
- Nurse practitioners.
- Physician assistants.
Providers Who Treat Benign Hematology
Locations
Our healthcare providers see patients at convenient locations throughout Ohio and Florida.Treating Benign Hematology Disorders at Cleveland Clinic
After we do testing and get your results, we sit down to create a highly personalized treatment plan for you. We take a lot of factors into account as we craft this plan. We look at what kind of benign hematology disorder you have, your symptoms, risk for complications and also your needs and goals. We focus on you every step of the way as we plan your treatment.
Depending on your needs and test results, you may need only one type of treatment. Or you might need a mix of therapies. These could include:
- Watchful waiting to see if you have new symptoms.
- Platelet and blood transfusions.
- Anticoagulants to treat or prevent blood clots.
- Growth factor supplementation to encourage blood cell production.
- Corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive therapies.
- Vitamins and supplements to manage nutrition problems.
- Bone marrow transplant (usually for aplastic anemia).
Taking the Next Step
When you learn you may have a noncancerous blood disorder, you probably have a lot of questions racing through your mind. What does this mean? What’s next? Will I be OK? Cleveland Clinic has answers — and a team of benign hematology experts with decades of experience in treating blood disorders. We’re here to guide you through every step of diagnosis, treatment and beyond with compassionate, personalized care and support.
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