Anemia: Effective causes, Symptoms and types

What Is Anemia?

The disc-shaped blood cells, known as red blood cells, transport oxygen to your body’s organs and tissues. Anemia develops when your body’s healthy red blood cell count is too low.

Your body needs enough oxygen for every component of it to work properly. A decrease in oxygen delivered to your body’s important organs and tissues is the root cause of many anemia symptoms, including exhaustion and shortness of breath.

Red blood cells contain the iron-rich protein hemoglobin. Red blood cells may carry oxygen throughout your body because hemoglobin links to it in your lungs. Based on the amount of hemoglobin in your blood, Anemia is assessed.

More than 1.74 billion individuals were expected to have Anemia worldwide in 2019. Anemia is more likely to affect women and those with chronic illnesses like cancer.

It can have a wide range of forms and causes. While some forms of Anemia are minor and readily managed, others can have potentially harmful health effects.

It causes, signs, and nutritional aspects will be covered in further detail in this article, along with its diagnosis and treatment.

What are the causes ? 

Numerous illnesses bring on Anemia. The following are examples of common causes of Anemia:

From active bleeding:

Anemia can be brought on by blood loss from wounds or solid menstrual flow. Anemia can also be brought on by digestive tract tumors or ulcers that steadily leak blood.

Iron deficiency: 

Iron is necessary for the bone marrow to make red blood cells. The appropriate structure of the hemoglobin molecule depends heavily on iron (Fe). It may come from inadequate or restricted iron intake from a lousy diet. This is known as Anemia due to iron deficiency. Additionally, conditions like stomach ulcers or cancers of the colon, uterus, intestinal polyps, hemorrhoids, etc., that cause slow, persistent bleeding can result in iron deficiency . Due to continuous, chronic slow blood loss in these situations, iron is also lost from the body (as a component of the blood) faster than usual and may induce iron deficiency anemia.

Related chronic disease: 

Any chronic medical condition can bring on Anemia. This type can be brought on by any chronic medical disease, including cancer and persistent infections, although the exact mechanism by which it occurs is unknown.

Related to kidney disease: 

Erythropoietin, a hormone secreted by the kidneys, aids in the bone marrow’s production of red blood cells. The production of this hormone is reduced in persons with chronic (long-term) kidney illness (CKD or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), which in turn reduces the generation of red blood cells and results in Anemia. This condition is known as Anemia of chronic renal disease or associated with it.

Related to pregnancy:

Because of the blood’s dilution caused by water retention and fluid growth during pregnancy, Anemia may result from a decrease in the relative concentration of red blood cells.

Related to poor nutrition:

Red blood cells must be produced, which requires vitamins and minerals. Haemoglobin (Hgb) synthesis requires iron, vitamin B12, folate (or folic acid), and iron. It may result from a deficiency in any of these due to insufficient red blood cell formation. Low vitamin B12 and folate levels are largely due to poor food consumption. A vitamin B12 shortage among strict vegetarians is possible if they don’t acquire enough vitamins.

Pernicious :

Another possibility for inadequate vitamin B12 absorption is an issue in the stomach or intestines. A vitamin B12 shortage, known as pernicious, could result in Anemia.

Sickle cell :

The creation of aberrant hemoglobin molecules can cause issues in certain people. The hemoglobin issue in this situation is qualitative or functional. The integrity of the structure of red blood cells may be compromised by abnormal hemoglobin molecules, which can also lead them to take on the shape of sickle cells. Sickle cell comes in various forms with varying degrees of severity. People of African, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean origin are more likely to have this, typically genetic. Depending on the severity and symptoms of the condition, sickle cell can be detected in a kid as early as age 3.

Thalassemia:

This is a different group of anemia-related hemoglobin-related causes. Thalassemia comes in various forms, ranging in severity from mild (thalassemia minor) to severe (thalassemia major). These are likewise inherited, but they result in quantitative hemoglobin anomalies, which prevent the production of enough healthy hemoglobin molecules. People with African, Mediterranean, and Southeast Asian ancestry are more likely to have thalassemia.

Alcoholism:

Alcoholism is linked to poor diet and vitamin and mineral deficits. Alcohol consumption itself may harm the bone marrow and reduce the generation of red blood cells. These elements working together may cause Anemia in alcoholics.

Bone marrow-related:

Bone marrow-related illnesses may be associated with Anemia. It can be caused by some blood malignancies, including leukemia and lymphomas, which disrupt the synthesis of red blood cells. Several pathways may cause the spread of venom from another organ to the bone marrow.

Aplastic :

Rarely certain viral infections can severely impact the bone marrow and drastically reduce the generation of all blood cells. The same issues may arise with other medicines and chemotherapy (cancer drugs).

Hemolytic :

The function of red blood cells depends on their typical form. Hemolytic is a specific type in which the red blood cells malfunction due to hemolysis. There are several potential causes for this. Hereditary spherocytosis, hereditary elliptocytosis, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase or G6GD deficiency are a few examples of hemolytic with continual red blood cell destruction and rapid replication. Normal red blood cells may also experience this kind of damage under certain circumstances, such as when they are harmed by faulty heart valves or are affected by specific medications that alter the structure of red blood cells.

Related to medications:

Many popular drugs can produce Anemia in some patients as a side effect. There are several medication-specific processes (such as hemolysis and bone marrow toxicity) by which drugs can lead to Anemia. Chemotherapy medications used to treat cancer are the drugs that usually result in Anemia. Seizure medications, transplant meds, HIV medications, malaria treatments, certain antibiotics (penicillin, chloramphenicol), antifungal medications, and antihistamines are additional common medications that might result in Anemia.

Other less common causes of Anemia include:

• Thyroid problems,
• Cancers,
• Liver disease,
• Autoimmune diseases (lupus),
• Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH),
• Lead poisoning,
• AIDS,
• Malaria,
• Viral hepatitis,
• Mononucleosis,
• Parasitic infections (hookworm),
• Bleeding disorders, and
• Insecticide exposure

This is simply a partial list of the more prevalent and significant causes of Anemia; many more could be involved.

What are the Symptoms of?

Anemia can result in a wide range of signs and symptoms due to the reduced oxygen delivery to all body tissues caused by a low red blood cell count. Additionally, it may exacerbate the signs of virtually any other underlying medical issue. If Anemia is slight, symptoms might not be present. The body may adjust and make up for the difference if Anemia is chronic and slowly ongoing; in this scenario, symptoms could not appear until the Anemia worsens.

Symptoms may include the following:

• Fatigue
• Decreased energy
• Weakness
• Shortness of breath
• Lightheadedness
• Palpitations (heart palpitations or irregular heartbeat)
• Looking pale

Symptoms of severe Anemia may include:

• Chest pain, angina, or heart attack
• Dizziness
• Fainting or passing out
• Rapid heart rate

Some of the symptoms in an individual may include:

• If the Anemia is brought on by blood loss through the gastrointestinal system, a change in stool colors, such as black and tarry stools (sticky and foul-smelling), maroon-colored stools, or bloody stools
• Rapid heart rate
• Low blood pressure
• Rapid breathing
• Pale or cold skin
• If the breakdown of red blood cells causes Anemia, the condition is known as jaundice.
• Heart murmur
• Enlargement of the spleen with specific causes of Anemi

What are the types?

Different types of are given below:

Iron-deficiency?

Iron deficiency is the most prevalent kind of Anemia, which occurs when you do not acquire enough iron. It is believed that iron deficiency causes 50% of all anemias.

Some reasons that can lead to low iron levels in your body include:

• blood loss 
• eating less than the required daily iron intake 
• having a health condition that makes iron absorption difficult, such as IBD or a previous gastric bypass operation

Many people with mild to moderate iron deficiency anemia are asymptomatic. Anemia is frequently discovered in these people during normal blood testing.

Severe iron deficiency anemia can produce a variety of symptoms, including but not limited to:

• fatigue
• shortness of breath
• chest pain

If left untreated, this type of Anemia might lead to significant problems.

Vitamin-deficiency

Inadequate amounts of folate or vitamin B12 cause vitamin deficiency. A lack of essential nutrients in the diet usually causes Anemia.

Some indicators that Anemia may be caused by low folate levels, in addition to some of the usual symptoms , include:

• pain in your mouth and tongue
  • changes in the color of your skin, hair, or nails

Pernicious is a kind of Anemia caused by a deficiency in vitamin B12. Individuals with pernicious frequently lack intrinsic factor, a protein produced in the stomach. Intrinsic factor aids in the absorption of vitamin B12 from the food. In rare cases, the small intestine has difficulty absorbing vitamin B12.

Many common symptoms are shared by Anemia caused by a deficiency of vitamin B12. Some more specific signs of vitamin B12 insufficiency include:

• Tingling and numbness in hands or feet: a concerning sensation that may require medical attention.
  • muscular weakness; 
  • a smooth, thick red tongue; 
  • difficulties with reflexes or movement; depression; 
  • memory problems; 
  • confusion
  • gastrointestinal problems, which may include
  • heartburn
  • nausea or vomiting
  • bloating or gas
  • constipation

What is Hemolytic?

Red blood cells are destroyed quicker than your body can replenish them in hemolytic. A number of causes can contribute to hemolytic, including:

Autoimmune activity occurs when your body makes antibodies that target and damage red blood cells.

• sickle cell disease and thalassemia are inherited disorders.
  • physical damage to red blood cells, such as when a heart-lung bypass system or prosthetic heart valves are used
  • side effects from some drugs, such as acetaminophen or penicillin; 
  • infections, such as malaria; 
  • exposure to toxins

In addition to basic anemia symptoms, some more particular hemolytic symptoms include:

• jaundice
• enlarged spleen
• chills
• back or upper abdominal pain

What is Aplastic?

When your bone marrow can not make enough red blood cells, you get aplastic . It is caused by injury to bone marrow stem cells, which usually evolve into red blood cells. Fewer red blood cells are produced as a result of this injury.

Aplastic is usually caused by autoimmune activity, in which your immune system assaults bone marrow stem cells. Other possible reasons include specific drugs, chemical exposure, and inherited genetic alterations.

Aplastic affects the generation of white blood cells and platelets as well. People with this kind of Anemia have low levels of white blood cells and platelets and a low red blood cell count.

A low white blood cell count might result in recurrent infections, but a low platelet count can result in easy bruising or bleeding. Other signs of aplastic include skin rashes and nausea.

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