Anemia & Its Types

Anemia is a condition in which there is an abnormally low level of healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin. It occurs when red blood cells number and/or the amount of hemoglobin level drops below normal. Red blood cells and the hemoglobin contained within them are necessary for the transport and delivery of oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.

If sufficient quantity of oxygen does not deliver then many tissues and organs throughout the body can damage. Anemia can be moderate, mild, or severe depending on the extent to which the RBC count and/or hemoglobin levels are decreased.

How Anemia Develops?

The tissues of our body require regular and continuous supply of oxygen to stay healthy. Red blood cells, which contain hemoglobin that allows them to deliver oxygen throughout the body. The life of a single Red blood cell is about 120 days. When they die, the iron they contain is returned to the bone marrow and used to make new red blood cells. Anemia can develop when heavy bleeding causes significant iron loss. It also occurs when something happens to slow down the production of red blood cells or to increase the rate at which they are destroyed. Anemia can be mild, moderate, or severe and in most cases when proper care and treatment is not established then it can be life-threatening complication. Over 400 different types of anemia have been identified. Many of them are rare.

Most Common Types of Anemia:

Iron deficiency anemia

Folic acid deficiency anemia

Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia

Vitamin C deficiency anemia

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia

Hemolytic anemia

Sickle cell anemia

Aplastic anemia

Anemia of chronic disease

How Anemia Can Diagnose?

Anemia is usually diagnosed or at least confirmed by a complete blood cell (CBC) count.

Six component measurements make up:

• Hemoglobin
• White blood cell (WBC) count
• Differential blood count (the “diff”)
• Platelet count
• But the red blood cell (RBC) count, the hematocrit, and the hemoglobin, are relevant to the diagnosis of anemia

Anemia is caused essentially through two basic pathways. It is either caused by a decrease in production of red blood cell or Hemoglobin. As more common classifications of anemia (low hemoglobin) is based on the MCV, or the volume of individual red blood cells.

• If the MCV is low (less than 80), the anemia is categorized as microcytic anemia (low cell volume).

Cause: Ferric deficiency, thalesemia, sidroblastic anemia.

• If the MCV is in the normal range (80-100), it is called a normocytic anemia (normal cell volume).

Cause: Acute blood loss, heamolysis, Aplastic anemia, endocrine disorder, anemia of chronic diseases (renal failure).

• If the MCV is high, then it is called a macrocytic anemia (large cell volume).

Causes: Anemia may have the following causes:

Iron deficiency anemia — Blood loss, such as from an ulcer or heavy menstruation or after surgery; not getting enough iron in your diet; pregnancy; side effect of medication

Vitamin deficiency anemia — Not getting enough folic acid and vitamin B12 in your diet, or being unable to absorb these vitamins (due to celiac disease, for example); side effect of medication

Aplastic anemia — may be caused by an autoimmune disorder

Hemolytic anemia — can be caused by medication, autoimmune disorders

Sickle cell anemia — inherited

What are Causes & symptoms of Anemia?

There are many causes of Anemia. It may be caused by bleeding, decreased red blood cell production, or increased red blood cell destruction. Poor diet can also play a role in vitamin deficiency and iron deficiency anemia, in which less number of red blood cells are produced. Hereditary disorders and certain diseases can also cause increased blood cell destruction. However, excessive bleeding is the most common cause of anemia which can be due to many different reasons, and the speed with which blood loss occurs has a significant effect on the severity of symptoms.

Chronic blood loss may be caused by:

Heavy menstrual flow

Hemorrhoids

Nosebleeds

Cancer

Gastrointestinal tumors

Diverticulosis

Polyposis

Stomach ulcers

Long-term alcohol abuse

Acute blood loss is usually the result of:

Childbirth

Injury

Ruptured blood vessel

Surgery

The common symptoms of Anemia includes; Tired Fatigue easily, Appear pale, Palpitations (feeling of heart racing), and become short of breath, Additional symptoms may include: Hair loss, Malaise (general sense of feeling unwell), Worsening of heart problem.

Iron Deficiency Anemia

The most common anemia in the world is Iron deficiency. In the United States, iron deficiency anemia affects about 240,000 and two years of age and 3.3 million women of childbearing age. Anemia is less common in older children and in adults over 50, and it rarely occurs in teenage boys and young men. The onset of iron deficiency anemia is gradual. The deficiency begins when the body loses more iron than it gains from food and other sources. Because depleted iron stores cannot meet the red blood cells’ needs, fewer red blood cells develop. In this early stage of anemia, the red blood cells look normal, but they are reduced in number. Then the body tries to compensate for the iron deficiency by producing more red blood cells, which are characteristically small in size. Weakness, fatigue, and a run-down feeling may be signs of mild anemia. Other signs include skin that is pasty or sallow, or lack of color in the creases of the palm, gums, nail beds, or lining of the eyelids. Someone who is weak, tires easily is often out of breath, and feels faint or dizzy may be severely anemic.

Other Symptoms Of Anemia Are:

Angina pectoris (chest pain)

Headache

Inability to concentrate and/or memory loss

Inflammation of the mouth (stomatitis) or tongue (glossitis)

Insomnia

Irregular heartbeat

Loss of appetite

Nails that is dry, brittle, or ridged

Rapid breathing

Sores in the mouth, throat, or rectum

Sweating

swelling of the hands and feet

Thirst

Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)

Unexplained bleeding or bruising

Pica (a craving to chew ice, paint, or dirt)

Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anemia

Two types of treatment usually are given. Oral Ferric Salts (Iron) or Intravenous. Treatment with an iron preparation is justified only in the presence of a demonstrable iron-deficiency state. Before starting treatment, it is important to exclude any serious underlying cause of the anemia (e.g. gastric erosion, gastro-intestinal cancer). Iron salts should be given by mouth unless there are good reasons for using another route. Ferrous salts show only marginal differences between one another in efficiency of absorption of iron. Haemoglobin regeneration rate is little affected by the type of salt used provided sufficient iron is given, and in most patients the speed of response is not critical. Choice of preparation is thus usually decided by the incidence of side-effects and cost.

Related Videos:

Article ( Part 1)

By: Shireen Khanzada