Hematology (also spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood.
Hematology tests include tests on the blood, blood proteins and blood-producing organs. These tests can evaluate a variety of blood conditions including infection, anemia, inflammation, hemophilia, blood-clotting disorders, leukemia and the body's response to chemotherapy treatments.
If your primary care physician has recommended that you see a hematologist, it may be because you are at risk for a condition involving your red or white blood cells, platelets, blood vessels, bone marrow, lymph nodes, or spleen. Some of these conditions are: hemophilia, a disease that prevents your blood from clotting.
A hematologist is a specialist in hematology, the science or study of blood, blood-forming organs and blood diseases. The medical aspect of hematology is concerned with the treatment of blood disorders and malignancies, including types of hemophilia, leukemia, lymphoma and sickle-cell anemia.