Causes, Symptoms And Treatment: Everything You Need to Know About Anemia

Anemia is a medical condition that happens when there is a decreased number of a healthy red blood cell in your body. In other words, a person suffering from this disease doesn't have enough iron to produce haemoglobin. It is a common disorder in pregnant ladies and growing kids.

If you are having these symptoms then get yourself tested as there are chances that you might be suffering from Anemia.

Symptoms

• Fast and irregular heartbeat on occasion
• Shortness of breath and leg cramps
• Dizziness, Insomnia and paleness of skin
• Light-headedness and mild chest pain
• Lack of energy

Cause

There is no single cause of this disease and sometimes it is tough to pinpoint the exact one. Some forms of anemia are hereditary and are passed on to infants. In the childbearing years, women are prone to iron-deficiency anemia due to the blood loss from menstruation. Older adults are also susceptible to this disease because of poor diet.

Treatment

Iron-deficiency anemia is very common and can be treated with diet changes and iron supplements. Mild anemia, which is developed during pregnancy is even considered normal. There are three causes of anemia- blood loss, decreased or faulty red blood cell production and destruction of red blood cells. After consulting with your doctor, you may be asked for the blood test and that will help to point to the underlying condition.

Iron deficiency anemia: In this case, dietary changes are made and the patient is advised to take iron supplements. If the deficiency is due to blood loss (other than menstruation), the bleeding must be stopped.

Vitamin deficiency anemia: The treatment of this disease involves dietary supplements and B-12 shots. You can also increase the intake of food items that contain vitamin C.

Anemia of chronic disease: There is no particular treatment of this disease. However, doctors try to focus on the underlying condition.

Thalassemia: It may be treated with folic acid supplementation, removal of the spleen, blood transfusions, bone marrow stem cell transplant.

Aplastic anemia: The patient may need blood transfusions to improve levels of red blood cells. A bone marrow transplant can also be required in case your bone marrow can't make healthy blood cells.

Hemolytic anemia: Treating hemolytic anemia includes the intake of right drugs that may suppress your immune system. Along with taking steps to cure the infection, Plasmapheresis or blood-filtering might also be required in some cases.

Sickle cell anemia: The patient may be asked for oxygen therapy and pain-relieving drugs. Doctors may also suggest blood transfusions, antibiotics and folic acid supplements. The disease is also treated with a cancer drug known as Droxia or Hydrea.

Feature Picture- beranisehat.com, Medical News Today

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