Hemophilia and sickle cell anemia are examples of?

• A. Autoimmune diseases
• B. Blood dyscrasias
• C. Skin infections
• D. Metabolic disorders

Answer: (B)

Blood dyscrasias are disorders involving the blood itself. Hemophilia is a bleeding disorder caused by deficiency of clotting factors, so the blood’s ability to clot is impaired. Sickle cell anemia is a hereditary red blood cell disorder where abnormal hemoglobin deforms red cells, causing anemia and painful episodes. Both conditions disrupt blood components and function, placing them squarely in the category of blood dyscrasias. They’re not autoimmune diseases, since they’re not driven by the immune system attacking the body; they’re not skin infections; and they’re not metabolic disorders, which involve problems in chemical processes of the body rather than the blood itself.