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Anemia and it's Causes
Anemia is a term used to describe a deficiency in the red blood cell count. Blood is a fluid composed of cells (red cells, white cells, and platelets) and serum (clear fluid). Red and white blood cells are roduced in the bone marrow. Red blood cells, which contain hemoglobin, are required to carry oxygen in the body. In a situation where the number of red blood cells is low, the body will be forced to operate under the stress of inadequate oxygen delivery. Some compensation is possible, but only as long as a critical number of red blood cells remains. Anemia is seen commonly in association with a number of disease processes, and can be secondary to a wide variety of conditions.
CAUSES OF ANEMIA
1. IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA (low dietary iron or blood loss from trauma, heavy menstrual cycles, blood in stools, or blood in vomit)
2. B-12 VITAMIN or FOLIC ACID DEFICIENCY (those with a poor diet and alcohol abusers) also known as pernicious anemia.
3. ANEMIA OF CHRONIC DISEASE (This is a low blood count secondary to an underlying illness somewhere in the body. This is typically cancer or kidney failure.
4. HEMOLYTIC ANEMIA (anemia secondary to the overly rapid destruction of red blood cells by an autoimmune illness.
5. APLASTIC ANEMIA (bone marrow fails to produce an adequate number of cells secondary to leukemia, or some other bone marrow disease).
6. HYPOPLASTIC ANEMIA (suppression of red blood cell production through a drug side effect, seen with some chemotherapeutic agents)
7. HEREDITARY ANEMIAS (sickle cell disease, thalasemia)
8. DRUG SIDE EFFECT
9. ARSENIC POISONING
10. CHRONIC LEAD INTOXICATION
Common symptoms include: fatigue, faintness or fainting, exertional shortness of breath, and palpitations. Patients may appear pale, with no red blood vessels in the "whites" of your eyes, and no clearly defined red lines on your palm (just imagine someone trying to read your palm and the lines are almost gone). Look for black, tarry stools which indicate blood loss in stools. Any vomiting of "coffee grounds" appearing material should be considered BLOOD until proven otherwise. Evaluation will include blood tests (i.e. blood counts, vitamin B-12 levels, iron levels, and blood chemistry). A chest x-ray may be done to look for any complications of anemia. Physical examination, with testing of stools for occult blood, may uncover a potential source of slow chronic blood loss (which may be a clue to a gastrointestinal cancer). Bone marrow biopsy and aspiration may be needed in cases of unexplained anemia.
Treatment includes transfusion with blood products if the anemia is life threatening. Uncovering the cause for the anemia will dictate the course of treatment. Remember, any questionable gastrointestinal blood loss needs to be investigated by a physician.The stool test kits available at your local pharmacy can detect occult blood in the stool. It is a wise health practice to test any stools that appear dark in color. Some foods, medications (Pepto-Bismol), and iron pills, can color the stools black. This will not affect the accuracy of the stool testing kits.
SELF HELP:
1. Have your stools tested regularly for occult blood.
2. Make sure you are receiving adequate iron in your diet.
3. Supplement with ferrous sulfate or ferrous gluconate tablets if necessary.
4. Take a B-complex vitamin (with thiamine and folate) daily or at least several times a week. Those who consume alcoholic beverages daily need daily B-complex vitamins.
Hope this article will provide you information about anemia and it's causes.
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