Lesson 3 (Chapter 6: Disorders of the Blood System)

Question 1

Iron-deficiency anemia

Answer 1

A condition characterized by a lack of sufficient iron. Without sufficient iron, blood cannot produce enough of the substance in red blood cells to carry oxygen effectively.

Question 2

Sickle cell disease

Answer 2

Red blood cells change their shape from a standard disc shape to a crescent, or sickle, shape. These cells are no longer flexible and burst apart as they move through blood vessels.

Question 3

Pernicious anemia

Answer 3

A decrease in red blood cells that occurs when the intestines cannot properly absorb vitamin B12.

Question 4

Leukemia

Answer 4

A type of cancer in which the bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells that don’t function properly.

Question 5

Sepsis

Answer 5

A life-threatening condition that occurs when the body has an overwhelming immune response to an infectious organism that has entered the bloodstream.