What is anemia?

Anemia is one of the most common disorders of the blood which afflicts more women than men. Medically it is defined as reduction in the quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. Hemoglobin is the oxygen carrying pigment in the blood which is also responsible for its red color.  Major part of the red blood cells is made of iron, thus the name heme (iron atom). Anemia is also classified on the basis of its duration and hence is known as acute and chronic.

Based on its cause, anemia is also categorized as:

• Decrease in the count of red blood cell production
• Increased destruction of RBC
• Blood loss

However, some people assume that anemia is a disease. The fact is that anemia is a manifestation or complication of some other disease and not a diagnosis in itself. Various infections, inflammations and malignancies show anemia as one of its complications. Some of the most common ones are gastritis, renal diseases, hypothyroidism, history of blood transfusion or thrombocytopenia.

Anemia signs and symptoms of anemia:

The signs and symptoms of anemia differ on the basis of type, cause and accompanying diseases and disorders. Anemia is also associated with conditions such as hemorrhage, ulcers, menstrual problems or cancers. If the form of anemia is mild or took a long time to develop, the symptoms would have been mild and could go unnoticed until some other medical condition arises.

Some of the most common symptoms of anemia are:

• The onset of fatigue is fast, leaving the person tired and lethargic
• The heart beat is fast with the patient complaining of palpitations when they exercise, climb stairs of perform a heavy physical task.
• Extreme shortness of breath if the person exerts a lot with some people passing out almost immediately. It can also be accompanied by headache and temporary blurring of vision.
• One of most common complains of children is decreased concentration. This can also affect their academics..
• Due to decreased capacity of the blood to carry oxygen, the skin appears pale. This makes people have pale and dull skin. This is common symptoms of anemia seen in many people.
• Anemia also makes people suffer from leg cramps.
• It can lead to insomnia that can be partial or complete, depending on the severity.

People who suffer from anemia are referred to as anemic. The symptoms of anemia mentioned above are generalized. The symptoms of anemia based on the cause are as follows.

Anemia caused by iron deficiency-

• Craving for peculiar substances such as paper, ice or dirt. Due to this some patients report that they eat mud. This condition is known as pica. In some cases, when pregnant women are affected with iron deficiency anemia, the symptom is known as pica pregnancy.
• The curvature of the nails changes and grows upwards, depicting a condition known as koilonychias.
• Mouth becomes sore with cracks at the corners.

Anemia caused by vitamin B -12 deficiency:

1. There is constant tingling sensation in the hands and feet of the patient. Most people with this symptom of anemia state that they suffer from a ‘pins and needles sensation’.
2. There is a decrease or complete loss in sense of touch.
3. Unsteady gait as the person may lose the sense of balance.
4. Dementia
5. Continuous stiffness in the limbs
6. The person may get emotionally affected as they report hallucinations, paranoia, and schizophrenia.

Anemia caused by chronic lead poisoning:

• The gums appeared discolored with blue black lining that is referred to as lead line.
• Pain in the stomach
• Constipation that is usually accompanied by nausea and vomiting
• Anemia caused by destruction of red blood cells
• As this condition is more common during jaundice, it can result in yellowish discoloration of the skin and eyes.
• Dark discoloration of Urine as it appears red or dark brown in color.
• Ulcers in the leg that keep reoccurring
• Such patients are prone to gall stones.
• If it occurs in children, it can affect their growth.

Sickle Cell Anemia- This is a genetic form of anemia, which can run in the family.

1. The onset of fatigue is fast and in some cases may make the patient faint.
2. There is an increased susceptibility to infections.
3. Children who have this condition experience slow growth and are often slow learners.
4. The joints, abdomen and limbs tend to pain severely.

Anemia due to sudden decrease in blood cells- this tends to occur in case of sudden injury and trauma and is characterized  by:

• Severe pain in the abdomen
• Dark, discolored urine
• Symptoms of Jaundice
• Bruises on the skin
• Some patients may report seizures
• Extreme blood loss can cause kidney failure.

Causes of Anemia

There are various causes of Anemia that can range from family history to infections. Since the symptoms can be silent (undetected) for years, the cause or the condition may go unnoticed for a long time.

Some of the most common causes of anemia are:

1. Genetic- this form of anemia tends to run in the family. It may skip a generation, but usually affects girls in the same line. Men are not that easily affected though they too have a tendency to develop it in the form of a disorder. Some of the most common forms of anemia are thalassemia, hemoglobinopathies, Rh null disease, enzyme abnormalities of the glycolytic pathways and hereditary xerocytosis.
2. Nutritional- people who do not have a balanced diet are more prone to such diseases as they could be suffering from deficiency in their daily intake. The good thing about this diet is that it can be corrected by having iron rich food. The most common forms of nutritional anemia are iron deficiency, Vitamin B-12 deficiency, folate deficiency and malnutrition due to starvation.
3. Hemorrhage- this is the term that is used to describe the loss of blood in from the body due to some form of cuts or injury. Hemorrhage is one of the most common causes of anemia in men.
4. Immunologic- this is one of the rare forms of anemia in which the body tends produce antibody mediated abnormalities. These can affect production and circulation of red blood cells in the body, ultimately leading to anemia.
5. Physical trauma- certain physical traumas and weather conditions can lead to this form of injury due to which the body my lose blood and become anemic. Among these, the most common are burns, frostbite and prosthetic calves and surfaces.
6. Medications- consuming certain medications for a long time can also lead to anemia. Some of the most common forms of anemia that occurs as a reaction to drugs is aplastic anemia and megaloblastic anemia.
7. Chronic diseases and cancer- certain chronic diseases can result in loss of blood or hamper the rate at which red blood cells are produced. The most common among them are renal diseases, hepatic diseases, neoplasia and collagen vascular diseases.
8. Infections- microbial infections can also destroy red blood cells, thus causing anemia. Hepatitis, gram-negative sepsis, malaria, toxoplasmosis, clostridia and cytomegalovirus are some of the most common infections.
9. Conditions- certain medical conditions such as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and hemolytic uremic syndrome can also cause anemia.

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