Iron Deficiency Anemia Higher among Adolescent Female Blood Donors

An oncologist and hematologist, Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum has been practicing medicine for upwards of 35 years. Through both his clinical and research experience, Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum has experience treating dozens of conditions, including iron deficiency anemia.

According to recent research from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, adolescent females have an increased risk of iron deficiency anemia and other adverse effects, such as fainting, after they donate blood. This is believed to occur because adolescent girls typically have a lower blood volume and higher iron levels than their adult peers. Because of this, adolescent donors lose more iron than adult donors, despite giving the same amount of blood.

Rather than discouraging adolescent donors from giving blood, this information should encourage adolescent females to prepare for their blood donation by taking iron tablets and eating green vegetables and other iron-rich foods. Further, adolescent females should limit the number of times they donate. 

In the United States, this age group can donate blood every eight weeks as long as they meet weight requirements. However, additional policies to protect this group from adverse health reactions is advised by researchers.

Jersey Shore University Medical Center Offers Collaborative Care

A hematologist and an oncologist at Regional Cancer Care Associates, LLC, in New Jersey, Kenneth D. Nahum, DO, has received New Jersey Monthly Magazine’s Top Doctors award four times. Frequently offering his support to health-related charities, Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum served for six years as a co-chair of the Sweetheart Ball fundraiser benefiting the cancer program at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

Jersey Shore cancer treatment is built around a collaborative care model. Each patient is assigned a comprehensive care team that includes a radiation oncologist, medical oncologist, radiation therapist, diagnosing and treating surgeon, and primary care physician. For patients with aggressive cancers who may benefit from emerging treatments, Jersey Shore participates in clinical trials run by The Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group.

The Center also features a unique patient-centered program known as Nurse Navigation, where registered nurses provide patients with logistical and emotional support throughout the treatment process, including with social service and insurance paperwork. Aside from cancer treatments, Jersey Shore offers patients rehabilitation services, nutrition counseling, support groups, and genetic testing to support whole patient care from initial testing through recovery.

Possible Causes of Neuroblastoma

New Jersey-based physician Kenneth D. Nahum, DO, practices as a hematologist and an oncologist at Regional Cancer Care Associates, LLC, in Howell. With more than three decades of experience in the field, Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum has cared for thousands of patients with various cancers and blood disorders.

Although cancer is most often thought of as an adult condition, it can occur in infants and children, as is the case with neuroblastomas. The most common type of cancer affecting infants, this rare form of cancer is normally found in children aged 5 or younger. It occurs when a solid tumor grows from immature nerve cells, or neuroblasts, in the body.

As a fetus develops, its neuroblasts should turn into nerve cells, fibers, and other cells that make up the adrenal glands. In most cases, the neuroblasts mature by the time a fetus is born, but they can occasionally mature after birth, as well. These immature cells will continue to mature after birth; however, sometimes they start growing uncontrollably and form a tumor, or neuroblastoma, instead.

Scientists aren’t sure exactly what causes the neuroblasts to become cancerous in some patients, though they have linked the condition to genetics. DNA changes that turn on oncogenes, which help cells grow and divide, increase the risk of neuroblastomas. The same is true of changes that turn off tumor suppressor genes that are responsible for controlling cell death.

Specific chromosome changes, including mutations to the ALK oncogene and PHOX2B gene, the latter of which helps nerve cells mature, have also been linked to the development of neuroblastomas. These specific changes are inherited by parents. Oncogene and tumor suppressor gene changes may also be inherited by parents, but some patients do experience these changes naturally over time.

Despite the genetic link, and the fact that infants have a higher chance of developing neuroblastoma if there is a family history of the condition, most neuroblastomas form spontaneously.