Anemia is a common blood disorder, which is caused when there is a drop in hemoglobin or hematocrit in the blood. The hemoglobin is the part of blood that distributes oxygen from the lungs to the tissues in the body, while the hematocrit is the measurement of the percentage of red blood cells found in a specific volume of blood. Anemia is often a symptom of a disease rather than a disease itself.
Anemia may be caused by several factors, which include the following:
- infections
- certain deficiency disease
- certain medications
- poor nutrition
- excessive bleeding
- cancer and other causes
Anemia is discovered during a medical examination through a routine blood test and other evaluation procedures, in addition to a complete medical history and physical examination taken.
Anemia resembles other blood disorders or medical problems. It is often a symptom associated with another disease, which is important for the physician to be aware of the symptoms to be able to make a diagnosis. The most common signs of anemia are lack of energy, dizziness or vertigo, unusually pale, difficulty of breathing, increased heart rate, jaundice, enlargement of the spleen or liver and many other symptoms.
There are several types of anemia, each with a specific cause and treatment, it includes the following:
|
 |
Iron Deficiency Anemia – is characterized by inadequate or low-iron intake. Iron deficiency can also be caused by colon cancer, bleeding ulcers and by heavy menstrual periods for women.
|
|
Aplastic Anemia – This is a life-threatening anemia characterized by a decrease in the causes of aplastic anemia, and it includes due to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, environmental toxins, pregnancy, lupus, genetic defects, etc.
|
|
Folic Acid Deficiency Anemia – is a very common type of anemia associated with decreased dietary intake of folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiency.
|
|
Hemolytic Anemia – This kind of anemia develops when red blood cells are destroyed faster than the bone marrow can replace them. Autoimmune disorder can cause your body to produce antibodies to red blood cells, destroying them prematurely.
|
|
Pernicious Anemia – is a type of anemia (low red blood cell count) caused by the body’s inability to absorb vitamin B12.
|
| |
 |
Treatment of the different kinds of anemia depends on the cause of the condition. However, if there is any suspicion, the blood specialist is the right person to go to find out the underlying cause. Treatment for only one of type of anemia may be both inappropriate and dangerous for another type of anemia.
|
