Dr. P. Prabhu, senior consultant haematologist, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, addressing a press conference in Tirupati on Saturday. The common public is concerned over the rising cases of blood-related ailments, thus awareness on the consequences is essential, said P. Prabhu, senior consultant haematologist at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai.Addressing a press conference in Tirupati on Saturday, Dr. Prabhu highlighted the necessity of ‘healthy blood’ — normal haemoglobin, white cell count and platelet count. Touching upon the variation in the blood count, he said the reasons are mostly simple and remediable. “In rare circumstances, the blood count variations may be a sign of underlying disorders and may need further investigations by a haematologist,” he explained.Referring to the components of blood viz., plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets as the ‘building blocks of life’, Dr. Prabhu emphasised the alarming increase in cases of Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP), anaemia, aplastic anaemia, bleeding disorders, Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS).Similarly, he mentioned Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) & Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APML) & Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia as ‘aggressive blood cancers’ that require proper monitoring.Considering the absence of a full fledged haematology facility at Tirupati, Dr. Prabhu said that he would be available for consultation at the Apollo Clinic in Tirupati once in two months. Published – September 14, 2024 07:06 pm IST