Home Info on Diseases

Info on Diseases

Educational resources on blood disorders and related medical conditions.

Conditions

Blood cancers & disorders

Choose a topic card below to open the full patient guide.

Leukaemia

Leukaemia

ALL, AML, CLL, CML — symptoms, diagnosis and modern treatments.

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Lymphoma

Lymphoma

Hodgkin's and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, staging and treatment options.

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Myeloma

Myeloma

Multiple myeloma — diagnosis, staging and novel therapies.

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Thalassaemia

Thalassaemia

Inheritance, iron chelation, transfusion and long-term care.

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Low platelet / ITP

Low Platelet / ITP

Thrombocytopenia, petechiae, bleeding risk and treatment options.

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Blood & bone marrow
Bone marrow

Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)

What is MDS? A group of disorders in which the bone marrow does not produce enough healthy blood cells. Patients may have anaemia, infection risk or bleeding. Risk is stratified using systems such as IPSS-R, often supplemented by molecular testing.

Drugs used include Vidaza (azacitidine) and Dacogen (decitabine) (hypomethylating agents / HMA).

Treatment approach (overview)

  • Consider clinical trial enrolment for all eligible patients
  • Supportive care (transfusions, antimicrobials) as needed for all patients
  • Lower-risk: ESA, lenalidomide, HMA or IST, or supportive care alone
  • Higher-risk: allogeneic transplant when appropriate; HMA as bridge until progression/intolerance
  • Hematopoietic growth factors may be used in selected patients

Resources: Leukaemia.org · ELN Guidelines

Vidaza Dacogen
Bone marrow

Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN)

MPNs are disorders of excessive blood-cell production. Main types include:

  • Polycythaemia Vera (PV)
  • Primary Myelofibrosis
  • Essential Thrombocytosis (essential thrombocythaemia)
  • Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia — see also CML page

Drug used in selected MPN includes Jakavi (ruxolitinib). Therapeutic venesection/phlebotomy may be used in PV.

Jakavi (ruxolitinib)
Jakavi (ruxolitinib)
Metabolic health
Metabolic

Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes requires lifelong attention to diet, activity, medications/insulin when needed, and monitoring. Metabolic syndrome links obesity, high sugar, lipids and blood pressure.

  • What is Diabetes?
  • Dietary management of diabetes
  • Malaysian Guidelines for Management of Diabetes Mellitus
  • The Metabolic Syndrome
  • Targets for Type 2 Diabetes — glucose, HbA1c, lipids, blood pressure and exercise goals as advised by your doctor
T2DM targets
Targets for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Metabolic

Hypertension

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. Targets may be stricter if you have diabetes or kidney impairment (e.g. ≤130/80 mmHg with normal renal function; tighter targets if renal impairment/proteinuria — follow your doctor's advice).

  • Malaysia Hypertension Guideline
  • American Hypertension Guideline
  • European Hypertension Guideline
Lifestyle

Nutrition Education

Avoid sugar, prevent illnesses: Malaysians consume on average about 26 teaspoons of sugar daily and rank among the highest sugar users in the world. Reducing sugar helps prevent diabetes, metabolic syndrome and related illnesses.

  • Malaysian Food Pyramid
  • Glycemic Index Chart (low vs high GI foods)
  • Avoid Sugar, Prevent Illnesses
  • Iron-rich foods — see Supportive Care
Food pyramid GI chart Avoid sugar
Lifestyle

Insulin Education

Types of insulin (Novo Nordisk family), action profiles, storage (2–8°C), and injection technique education.

Insulin types
Types of insulin — action profiles

Medical disclaimer: Content on this website is for patient education only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your doctor about your individual condition.