Anemia

Alternative Names

Anemia, Pernicious anemia, Sickle cell anemia

What is Anemia

Anemia is a type of disease that develops when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells. These cells are the main transporters of oxygen to organs. If red blood cells are also deficient in hemoglobin, then your body isn't getting enough oxygen. Symptoms of anemia like fatigue occur because organs don’t get what they need to function properly.

Signs and symptoms

People whose anemia develops step by step may have no symptoms for a long time. If it develops rapidly symptoms will usually be felt much sooner. Symptoms can be different according to the type of anemia, its underlying cause, and if there are any underlying health problems.

The common symptoms of anemia tiredness and lethargy are:

Lethargy is a mental state while fatigue is a physical state. Lethargy may or may not be associated with physical symptoms. If somebody suffers from fatigue is physically tired it is not uncommon for his/her mental state to be affected as well.

• Fatigue (tiredness)
• Lethargy - sluggishness, apathy, a feeling of laziness
• Malaise - a vague feeling that one is not well
• Dyspnea - shortness of breath; difficult or labored breathing
• Poor concentration
• Palpitations - unpleasant irregular and/or forceful beating of the heart
• Sensitivity to cold temperatures

These symptoms are less common but possible:

• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Headache
• Sense of taste is affected
• Sore tongue
• Dysphagia - difficulty is swallowing
• Pallor (pale complexion)
• Atrophic glossitis - very smooth tongue
• Dry and flaky nails
• Angular chelosis - ulcers in the corner of the mouth
• Restless leg syndrome - this is more common among patients with iron deficiency anemia

The symptoms are extremely rare but possible:

• Swelling of the legs and/or arms
• Chronic heartburn
• Vomiting
• Increased sweating
• Blood in stools (feces)

Possible complications

Some cases of anemia can occur as a result of chronic disease. But somehow as some cases can be mild. even mild anemia can decrease oxygen transport in the blood, causing fatigue and a diminished physical capacity. It is known that moderate-to-severe iron-deficiency anemia reduces endurance. According to some researches iron deficiency without anemia can produce a subtle but still lower capacity for exercise.

Because a reduction in red blood cells decreases the ability to absorb oxygen from the lungs, serious problems can occur in prolonged and severe anemia that is not treated. Anemia can lead to secondary organ dysfunction or damage, including heart arrhythmia and heart failure.

Certain inherited forms of anemia, including thalassemia major, pernicious anemia, and sickle-cell anemia, can be extremely dangerous. Thalassemia major and sickle-cell anemia affect children and are particularly devastating.

What causes

Anemia can be caused by any process that can disrupt the normal life span of a red blood cell. Normal life span of a red blood cell is approximately around 120 days. Red blood cells are made in the bone marrow.

Anemia is caused essentially through two basic pathways. Anemia is either caused:

• by a decrease in production of red blood cell or hemoglobin,
• by a loss or destruction of blood.

As more common classifications of anemia (low hemoglobin) is based on the MCV, or the volume of individual red blood cells.

• The anemia is categorized as microcytic anemia if the MCV is less than 80. (Low cell volume).
• It is a normocytic anemia if the MCV is in the normal range (80-100). (Normal cell volume).
• It is a macrocytic anemia if the MCV is high. (Large cell volume).

The most common reason of anemia can depend on each of the components of a complete blood count (CBC), especially the MCV.

Prevention

Prevention of anemia is better than trying to cure it. You can try to keep anemia and its effects at bay in these ways:

• Preventing anemia means you have to have enough red blood cells in your body. This can be done with a proper diet, enough sleep and exercise to keep your body healthy and producing enough red blood cells to keep anemia away.
• Another way to stop anemia from happening is to avoid the intake of substances that will cause you to have anemia. Included in the list of substances you need to avoid to stop anemia from happening is alcohol.

Treatment

The treatment of the anemia can be in different ways. First, the underlying cause of the anemia is needed to be identified and corrected. For example, anemia as a result of blood loss from a stomach ulcer should begin with medications to heal the ulcer. Likewise, surgery is often necessary to remove a colon cancer that is causing chronic blood loss and anemia.

Iron supplements will also be needed to correct iron deficiency. In severe anemia, blood transfusions may be necessary. Vitamin B12 injections will be necessary for patients suffering from pernicious anemia or other causes of B12 deficiency.

Epoetin alfa may be used to stimulate bone marrow red blood cell production in certain patients with bone marrow disease or patients with kidney failure,

If a prescribed medication didnt give any results, then it should be stoped under the direction of the prescribing doctor.