HEART: DISEASES & DISORDERS

Question 1

Overabundance of red blood cells due to decreased blood volume, as may result from dehydration, diuretics, or burns

Answer 1

Relative erythrocytosis

Question 2

Stem cell defect of unknown cause; results in overproduction of red blood cells, granulocytes, and platelets; signs
include low erythropoietin levels and enlarged spleen; increased blood viscosity and blood volume can cause
clogging of the capillaries and hypertension

Answer 2

Primary erythrocytosis (polycythemia vera)

Question 3

Overabundance of red blood cells resulting from decreased oxygen supply, as occurs at high altitudes, in chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease, or in congestive heart failure; decreased oxygen delivery to the kidney stimulates
the secretion of erythropoietin, resulting in increased blood viscosity and blood volume that can cause clogging of
the capillaries and hypertension

Answer 3

Secondary erythrocytosis

Question 4

Clotting throughout the vascular system, followed by bleeding; may develop when normal regulation of clotting by
anticoagulants is overwhelmed, as occurs due to massive tissue damage; also caused by alteration of the lining of
the blood vessels resulting from infections or snake bites

Answer 4

Disseminated intravascular
coagulation (DIC)

Question 5

Most common inherited bleeding disorder; platelet plug formation and the contribution of activated platelets to
blood clotting are impaired; treatments are injection of von Willebrand factor or administration of drugs that
increase von Willebrand factor levels in blood, which helps platelets adhere to collagen and become activated

Answer 5

von Willebrand disease

Question 6

Genetic disorder in which clotting is abnormal or absent; each of the several types results from deficiency or
dysfunction of a clotting factor; most often a sex-linked trait that occurs almost exclusively in males

Answer 6

Hemophilia

Question 7

Spread of microorganisms and their toxins by the blood; often the result of a medical procedure, such as insertion of
an intravenous tube; release of toxins by bacteria can cause septic shock, producing decreased blood pressure and
possibly death

Answer 7

Septicemia
(blood poisoning)

Question 8

Caused by a protozoan introduced into blood by the Anopheles mosquito; symptoms include chills and fever produced by
toxins released when the protozoan causes red blood cells to rupture

Answer 8

Malaria

Question 9

Caused by Epstein-Barr virus, which infects salivary glands and lymphocytes; symptoms include fever, sore throat, and
swollen lymph nodes, all probably produced by the immune system response to infected lymphocytes

Answer 9

Infectious mononucleosis

Question 10

Caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which infects lymphocytes and suppresses immune system

Answer 10

Acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (AIDS)