A hematologist specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases of the blood.
You may be referred to a hematologist for certain blood tests and procedures.
What Is a Hematologist?
Verywell / Nusha Ashjaee
A hematologist is a medical specialist trained in blood disorders.
Related specialists calledhematopathologistsuse their expertise in blood-related diseases in the lab setting.
Hematology is a subspecialty of internal medicine that often overlaps with oncology (the study of cancer).
A hematologist is not the same as an oncologist but can diagnose and treat blood cancer.
An oncologist is a specialist in all types of cancer, including blood cancer.
A hematologist-oncologist is someone who specializes specifically in cancers of the blood.
Why You Might Need a Hematologist
Hematologists work directly with patients who have blood-related disorders.
A referral to a hematologist does not necessarily mean that you have cancer.
If you have blood in the stool, agastroenterologistmay be more appropriate.
The same applies to hemorrhagic infections for which an infectious disease specialist may be better suited.
Von Willebrand disease is the most common bleeding disorder.
It prevents blood from clotting properly.
People with this disease have nosebleeds,easy bruising, and heavy menstrual bleeding.
These teams can includeradiologists,surgeons, radiation oncologists,geneticists,rheumatologists, or other specialists.
By law, doctors must be licensed by the state in which they practice.
It often helps to keep a symptoms journal to record them so you dont forget.
Some of these could potentially affect yourblood chemistryor complicate treatment.
Summary
A hematologist is a highly skilled specialist in blood diseases.
You may be referred to a hematologist if your blood tests indicate an abnormality.
You may also need to see a hematologist for certain treatments like bone marrow or stem cell transplant.
When you see your hematologist, you may need additional tests.
Ask your hematologist questions about testing, the results, your condition, and treatment.
American Society of Hematology.Blood disorders.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About von Willebrand disease.
2015;125(16):2467-70. doi: 10.1182/blood-2014-12-615047
