Information about Anemia

Anemia is a condition 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 iron. Symptoms of anemia — like fatigue — occur because organs aren’t getting enough oxygen.

Blood is actually a liquid made up of several different cell types. One of the most important and most numerous cell types is the red blood cell. The purpose of the red blood cell is to deliver oxygen to the body. Anemia describes the condition in which the number of red blood cells in your blood is low. For this reason, doctors sometimes describe someone with anemia as having a low blood count. A person who has anemia is called anemic.

Anemia Symptoms:

Because a low red blood cell count decreases oxygen delivery to every tissue in the body, anemia causes many signs and symptoms. It makes almost any other underlying medical condition worse. For example, if you have an underlying heart problem and become anemic, you are more likely to have problems associated with your heart disease than you would have if you were not anemic.

Here are the following symptoms of Anemia:

· Easy fatigue and loss of energy.

· Unusually rapid heart beat, particularly with exercise.

· Shortness of breath and headache, particularly with exercise.

· Difficulty concentrating.

Causes of Anemia:

Anemia can be caused by the body not making enough red blood cells. It is also caused by their loss or destruction. Several factors can cause anemia:

· Too little iron, vitamin B12 or folate. A shortage of folate can cause megaloblastic anemia, where red blood cells are large and pale (see Fact Sheet 121)

· Damage to bone marrow or kidneys

· Blood loss from internal bleeding or a woman’s menstrual cycle

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA)

IDA is the most common type of anemia. IDA happens when you don’t have enough iron in your body. You need iron to make hemoglobin. People with this type of anemia are sometimes said to have “iron-poor blood” or “tired blood.”

Vitamin deficiency anemia (or megaloblastic anemia)

Low levels of vitamin B12 or folate are the most common causes of this type of anemia.Vitamin B12 anemia is the result of an impaired ability of the digestive tract to absorb the B12 that is a normal part of the diet. B12 is essential for the production of red blood cells, as well as the maintenance of the nervous system, and is found in food of animal origin such as meat, fish and dairy products.

Treatments:

Blood transfusion used to be the only treatment for severe anemia. However, transfusions can cause infection and suppress the immune system. They appear to cause faster progression of HIV disease and to increase the risk of death for HIV patients.

Fortification with ascorbic acid, which increases bioavailability in both presence and absence of inhibiting substances, but which is subject to deterioration from moisture or heat. Ascorbic acid fortification is usually limited to sealed dried foods, but individuals can easily take ascorbic acid with basic iron supplement for the same benefits