Anemia: symptoms, causes, and how to treat it

Definition

What is anemia?

Anemia is a blood disorder characterized by an insufficient number of red blood cells in the human body. That is why, this condition is also known as anemia (not the same as low blood pressure).

Lack of blood can also occur if the red blood cells don't contain enough hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is an iron-rich protein that gives blood its red color.

This protein helps red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs throughout the body. If the body lacks iron intake from food, hemoglobin will be disturbed.

Quoted from the Mayo Clinic, normal red blood count (erythrocytes) in men amounted to 4.32-5.72 million cells / mcL and in women 3.90-5.02 million cells / mcL.

Meanwhile, normal hemoglobin levels for men are 132-166 grams / L and 116-150 grams / L for women. If, less than that, you can also be called lack of blood.

Even so, the normal hemoglobin number can vary depending on the examination tool used by the laboratory.

If you have anemia, your body doesn't get enough oxygenated blood. As a result, you may feel tired or weak quickly. You may also experience other symptoms, such as shortness of breath, dizziness, or headaches.

How common is this condition?

This condition is very common and can affect more than 1.6 billion people worldwide. Women and people with chronic diseases, such as cancer, have the highest risk of developing this condition.

Severe or prolonged lack of blood can damage your heart, brain, and other organs in your body. Not infrequently this condition can cause death when it is severe.

Symptoms

What are the signs and symptoms of anemia?

Anemia at a mild level may not cause significant symptoms.

However, generally, the symptoms of anemia are:

• Feeling irritable easily
• Feeling weak or tired more often than usual
• Headache
• Difficulty concentrating or thinking

However, this condition can get worse if it is not treated. If it gets worse, the symptoms of anemia can be more severe, such as:

• There is a white color on the inside of the lower eyelid
• Toenails and toenails are brittle
• Having a desire to eat is known as pica, which is like eating ice cubes or dirt
• Feel dizzy when standing
• Pale skin color
• Hard to breathe

When should I see a doctor?

If you feel tired easily without strenuous activity or even for no particular reason, try to consult a doctor. Especially if you experience the above symptoms. Even so, you are not necessarily anemic even if you experience the symptoms above.

Fatigue can generally be due to low hemoglobin levels. This is an early sign that you may be deficient in iron or some other cause.

You may not notice low Hb levels. This is generally known when someone is about to donate blood but does not meet the qualifications because of the low levels.

Check with your doctor for further basic treatment.

Cause

What causes anemia?

The cause of anemia is a lack of red blood cell production.

There are many organs in the body that are also responsible for helping make red blood cells. However, most of this work is done in the bone marrow. Marrow is the soft tissue in the center of bones that helps form all blood cells.

Generally, young red blood cells can last between 90-120 days. Naturally, the body will then replace old and damaged blood cells.

These processes are all regulated by the hormone erythropoietin (EPO) which is made in the kidneys. This hormone will signal your bone marrow to make more red blood cells.

In most cases, anemia is caused by insufficient hemoglobin levels.

Types

Types of anemia based on the cause

This time. there are more than 400 types of anemia that have been identified. Iron deficiency anemia, aka iron deficiency, is the most common worldwide.

The following is a division of the types of anemia.

1. Due to less production of red blood cells

• Iron deficiency anemia, occurs because the body's ability to absorb iron has decreased.
• Vitamin B-12 and folate deficiency anemia
• Anemia due to chronic disease, such as kidney disease, leukemia or other blood cancers, lupus, HIV, and rheumatoid arthritis.
• Anemia due to chemotherapy side effects, causes the production of red blood cells in the body to stop temporarily.
• Aplastic anemia is a condition of lack of red blood due to bone marrow failure.

2. Due to loss of red blood

• Anemia due to acute blood loss, it can occur due to surgery, trauma, or acute bleeding from the wound
• Chronic blood loss anemia, can occur because of heavy menstruation (menorrhagia) or because of gastrointestinal bleeding. This condition can also lead to iron deficiency.

3. Due to damage to red blood cells

• Hereditary anemia can occur due to changes in the structure of hemoglobin or red blood cells, making them more fragile or short-lived, such as sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, pyruvate kinase deficiency, hereditary elliptocytosis, and hereditary spherocytosis.
• Alloimmune hemolytic anemia is a type of blood deficiency caused by an incompatible blood group. This can occur through a transfusion reaction or in a pregnancy when the mother's blood is Rh-negative and the fetus's blood is Rh-positive.
• Autoimmune hemolytic anemia is a disease caused by an error in the immune system that attacks and destroys red blood cells.
• Drug induced anemia, occurs as a result of the immune system's reaction to the effects of antibiotics.
• Mechanical hemolytic anemia is a disease caused by physical damage to red blood cells. The trigger factor can be the effect of medical devices, high blood pressure, or even strenuous activity.
• Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria is a type of blood deficiency that occurs when your body destroys red blood cells more quickly. In addition, the body also makes too few types of blood cells.

Risk Factors

Who is at risk of developing less blood?

These factors will increase your risk of developing anemia:

• A diet lacking in vitamins or levels of certain nutrients, such as iron or vitamin B-12
• Intestinal disorders, such as celiac disease and Crohn's disease
• Menstruation
• Pregnancy
• Have a chronic disease, such as cancer, kidney or liver failure.
• Family history
• Other factors such as having had certain infections, blood diseases, autoimmune disorders, alcoholism, exposure to toxic chemicals, can also decrease the production of red blood cells.

Complications

What are the possible complications?

If left untreated, this disorder can lead to serious health problems. Some of the complications that can arise due to untreated anemia are:

• Severe fatigue. You may get tired easily, so you can't complete everyday tasks. You may be too tired for work or even light activity
• Heart problems. This lack of blood can cause arrhythmias, which are fast or irregular heartbeats. Your heart has to pump more blood to meet the lack of oxygen in the blood. This condition can even lead to congestive heart failure.
• Dead. Some hereditary conditions, such as sickle cell anemia, can be serious and cause life-threatening complications. Rapid and severe loss of blood can be fatal.

Diagnosis & Treatment

How do you diagnose anemia?

The way doctors diagnose anemia is by first examining the patient's physical condition, by finding out the symptoms that appear.

If your symptoms are suspected to be lack of blood, your doctor may order a complete blood count (also called a CBC, complete blood count) which can indicate if you have normocytic anemia.

If your complete blood count shows a low count of normal-sized red blood cells, your doctor may recommend more follow-up tests to confirm a formal diagnosis.

If you were born with this condition, other family members may also need to be tested.

Other tests to diagnose anemia include:

• Test the levels of iron, vitamin B12, folic acid, and other vitamins and minerals
• Test your red blood cell count and hemoglobin level
• Reticulocyte count test

Other tests may be done to find medical problems that could be causing your blood deficiency.

How do I read the diagnosis?

In adults, anemia can be characterized by the amount of blood that is below normal limits. Here is the normal amount of blood for an adult:

• Hemoglobin (Hb) men: 14-17.4 g / dL; women 12.3-15.3 g / dL in women
• Male hematocrit: 40-52%; women 35-47%

After your diagnosis and results are positive, your doctor may refer you to a hematologist, a doctor who specializes in blood disorders, to determine the cause of the body's blood deficiency.

What other medical tests can help with the diagnosis?

If you have confirmed anemia, your doctor may order additional tests to determine the underlying cause.

For example, iron deficiency can be caused by chronic bleeding ulcers (sores), benign polyps in the colon, colon cancer, tumors or kidney problems.

Sometimes it may be necessary to study a sample of your bone marrow to diagnose this blood deficiency condition.

What are the treatment options for anemia?

Anemia treatment is generally carried out with the aim of first addressing the cause of your blood deficiency.

Some of the basic anemia treatments that doctors will recommend, are usually:

• Blood transfusion
• Corticosteroids or other drugs that suppress the immune system
• Erythropoietin, a drug that helps your bone marrow make more blood cells
• Supplements for iron, vitamin B12, folic acid, or other vitamins and minerals

This disease can be very severe, chronic, or even fatal when the type is inherited. However, with proper treatment, it is possible to treat even the most severe blood deficiency diseases.

Prevention

How are simple ways to overcome and prevent anemia?

Often times, you can treat anemia and prevent a deficiency of red blood cells without needing special medical treatment.

Some anemia conditions can't be prevented. However, there are a number of things you can do to prevent iron and vitamin deficiency anemia by choosing a diet that includes a variety of vitamins and nutrients, such as:

• Get iron
• Take folate
• Take vitamin B-12
• Get plenty of vitamin C