This course provides an in-depth exploration of the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, laboratory diagnosis, and management of major haematological disorders, with emphasis on coagulation, anaemia, thrombosis, and special haematological considerations in pregnancy and paediatrics.
The course begins with the principles of blood coagulation and haemostasis, outlining the normal physiological mechanisms that maintain vascular integrity and prevent abnormal bleeding or clotting. Students are introduced to bleeding disorders, covering their causes, clinical manifestations, vascular and platelet abnormalities, laboratory investigative approaches, and therapeutic strategies.
The module further examines coagulation disorders, distinguishing between hereditary and acquired conditions, their clinical features, diagnostic evaluations, and treatment modalities. This is followed by an in-depth study of thrombosis and anti-thrombotic therapy, where students learn about the causes, types, pathology, clinical features, diagnostic investigations, and therapeutic interventions, including modern antithrombotic agents.
The second half of the course introduces anaemia, including key definitions, epidemiology, and general clinical and laboratory concepts. Students will study the classification of anaemia using physiological (RBC indices), etiological, and morphological approaches. This includes anaemias due to reduced production, ineffective erythropoiesis, globin or haem synthesis defects (e.g., thalassaemias, haemoglobinopathies), increased red cell destruction (haemolysis), and acute blood loss. The course also emphasizes the laboratory investigation of anaemia, treatment strategies, and basic principles of blood transfusion practice.
Finally, the course addresses pregnancy and paediatric haematology, focusing on the unique haematological changes during pregnancy, neonatal and infant blood disorders, and the laboratory investigation of haematological abnormalities in these special populations.
By the end of this course, students will have a strong foundation in clinical haematology, enabling them to integrate knowledge of disease mechanisms with laboratory and clinical approaches for diagnosis and treatment of common and complex haematological disorders.
The aim of this module is to help students to acquire knowledge about microbes and their importance in food industry. They will master the basic techniques in food microbiology and have knowledge of food poisoning and food spoilage. It will also help students to apply the knowledge of medical microbes in the in analysis of water, sewage and air, food, milk and milk products.