Hematological Disorders

Hematological Disorders


This category includes hemolytic anemias (sickle cell disease, thalassemia and their variants), disorders of thrombosis and hemostasis, disorders of bone marrow failure, and disorders treated by bone marrow or stem cell transplantation.  

These can be very significant and life-threatening medical disorders.  For purposes of disability, they are largely evaluated based on the chronicity of the underlying condition, as manifested by the persistence of clinical signs and findings for at least 3 months following initiation of treatment.

The symptoms commonly associated with hematological disorders include fatigue, weight loss, pain, spontaneous hemorrhage and/or recurrent infection. They often necessitate frequent hospitalization.

These disorders are often found to impose disability.  Sometimes, this is a matter of the severity of the underlying illness alone. Other times, disability is attributed to the severity and persistence of characteristic symptoms.  In these cases, disability is not generally due to specific limitations on the ability to function, but rather to the inability to function on a consistent and regular basis.