Posts Tagged ‘Types Of Anemia’

How to Identify the Symptoms of Anemia

Comments: 0October 20th, 2010 by admin



Anemia is a condition in which the hemoglobin content of the blood is below normal. Hemoglobin is the vital component of red blood cells (RBC). Red blood cells are responsible in the transport of oxygen, a vital substance for red cells’ survival. Without hemoglobin therefore, the biochemical and physiologic processes in the body would not be able to occur. This would result to cell death, tissue death and then eventually organ death.

There are several causes of anemia. This may be due to chronic or acute blood loss, blood dyscrasia, or as a secondary result of another condition like in hookworm anemia, which is the result of parasitism with Ancylostoma doudenale and Necatur americanus.

There are also several types of anemia, hemolytic anemia, pernicious anemia, iron-deficiency anemia to name some. The following are the general overview of anemia.
What are the physical symptoms of Anemia?

1. Pallor of the skin, mucosal lining of the eyes and palms are some physical indication that a person is anemic.

2. Dyspnea or difficulty of breathing. There is also shortness of breath.

3. Headache or light-headedness, because of the lack of oxygen in the brain.

4. Easy fatigability. The person gets exhausted very easily even upon light, physical exertion.

5. Nausea and dizziness. The person feels dizzy very often.

6. Amenorrhea/absence or scanty menstruation.

What are the laboratory diagnostic symptoms of anemia?

1. Hemoglobin values are below normal. Normal values for female = 12- 16 gm/dL (120 g/L- 160 g/L), male = 12.5 – 18 mg/dL (125 g/L – 180 g/L)

2. Hematocrit values are below normal. Normal values for female = 42

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How to Avoid Anemia

Comments: 0July 20th, 2010 by admin



Anemia is a word recognised by many people but maybe not fully understood. If you are anaemic you either don’t have enough red blood cells or you have enough red blood cells but they can’t carry enough oxygen. You will often feel faint, short of breath and unusually tired and lethargic.

The main causes of anemia are loss of blood, not enough red cell production or faster destruction than manufacture of red blood cells.

Your red blood cells have a protein called hemoglobin inside which carries oxygen round the body. So they are vital to your everyday health.

There are different types of anemia depending on the cause. Probably the most common is iron deficiency Anemia caused by blood loss and which commonly affects women with heavy periods.

A second common type is pernicious anemia. This happens when your body can’t make enough red blood cells due to poor absorption of vitamin B12. It can be due to a lack of a vital protein called intrinsic factor without which the body cannot absorb B12. It also occurs in a poor diet, especially when combined with alcohol problems.

Anemia of any causes will give you symptoms such as excessive shortness of breath, lethargy, fatigue, very pale complexion, cold hands and feet and possibly chest pain. They are all fairly vague but a doctor should soon pick up and diagnose your problems.

It is diagnosed with a simple blood test, which will also help your doctor decide which type of anemia you have and the appropriate treatment.

For iron deficiency the treatment is to reduce the loss of blood, if possible and to increase your iron intake. This could be by taking iron tablets or by changing your diet. Iron rich foods include green leafy vegetables, red meat, eggs, nuts and beans.

Pernicious anemia is treated with monthly vitamin B12 injections. If poor diet or alcohol is also a problem then reducing the alcohol and eating healthier foods such as fortified breakfast cereals, meat, liver, eggs and cheese will help increase your B12 intake and improve the anemia.

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Pernicious Anemia – A Condition Caused by a Lack of Vitamin B12

Comments: 0January 9th, 2010 by admin



Pernicious anemia is an anemic condition which occurs or happens when an individual’s body or the sufferer is not able to absorb enough of the B12 vitamin from their gastrointestinal tract. The human body requires the B12 to produce red blood cells as well as to maintain the nervous system.

When the vitamin B12 in the body becomes insufficient, the bone marrow is unable to produce red blood cells which divide normally. These cells are then too large and many can not pass through the bone marrow to the body and this creates a shortage of these cells which are needed to carry oxygen throughout the body.

The Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency as well as Pernicious Anemia

In many cases of pernicious anemia, the condition itself is not diagnosed until after signs of a neurological problem appear. There are many symptoms associated with this type of anemia including those which are typical of all types of anemia and include tiredness and fatigue. Other symptoms include bleeding gums, sore mouth, tongue problems, impaired sense of smell, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, and a pale skin color.

Other symptoms which may occur and are due to the lack of vitamin B12 can include numbness or tingling in the hands as well as feet, loss of balance, and muscle weakness. In severe cases of a vitamin B12 deficiency it is possible for an individual to experience memory loss, dementia, confusion, and depression.

The Most Common Treatments for Pernicious Anemia

Pernicious anemia was actually given its name due to the fact that “pernicious” is defined as “deadly”. The reason for this was because at one time vitamin B12 treatments were not available; however, at these days pernicious anemia is treated fairly easy by building up the vitamin B12 in the body.

This can be done easily through vitamin B12 shots which are given in the more severe cases of pernicious anemia as well as may be on a daily or weekly basis until the B12 reaches sufficient levels in the body. In less severe cases vitamin B12 pills are usually taken in very large doses. Vitamin B12 is also made available in a nose spray as well as gel which is sometimes beneficial for individuals who have problems with swallowing pills. Prescription medications may also be given to treat this kind of condition which is causing the body’s inability to absorb the B12.

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