Haematology

Haematology is the study of various components of blood for the diagnosis of disease and monitoring of treatment. Tests performed include those which quantitate the number, size and morphology of the different types of blood cells, determine blood group types, assess the coagulation ability of the blood and detect the presence of different types of blood parasites. The quantitation of red cells and their characteristics such as haemoglobin content is vital for the diagnosis of diseases such as the many types of anaemia and polycythaemia. The level of white cells in blood gives an indication for the diagnosis of various infections, leukaemia and multiple myeloma in addition to the monitoring of antiretroviral therapy and disease progression in HIV positive patients. Platelets play a central role in the clotting function of blood and therefore their measurement, along with that of the various coagulation factors and coagulation function tests is important for the diagnosis of bleeding disorders such as haemophilia and deep vein thrombosis.