Are You Anaemic?

Anaemia occurs when the level of red blood cells or haemoglobin in your body becomes lower than the normal levels. Haemoglobin helps in carrying oxygen in your blood. The reduced levels of red blood cells or haemoglobin deprive the body of necessary oxygen. It leads to a shortage of oxygen in the body. Anaemia is not a disease in itself, but a result of certain malfunction in the body.

Anaemia occurs when the blood does not have enough red blood cells or there is a deficiency of hemoglobin. There may be several reasons for it such as the following:

Reduced production of RBCs in the blood

Blood loss, and

Damage of RBCs in the body

The most common symptom of anaemia is fatigue and tiredness. A person who suffers with anaemia feels weaker after short periods of exertion and activity, as the body becomes deprived for oxygen. As the condition worsens, the body can experience visible changes in such as your skin and nails. Bleeding from cuts may take longer to stop in an anemic person.

People suffering from light to mild anaemia may not show any symptoms at all or may only show mild symptoms. But people suffering with severe condition produce visible signs and symptoms. The symptoms may vary depending on the type of anaemia from individual to individual. Some of the common symptoms of anemia are weakness, headache, shortness of breath, dizziness, cold hands and feet, fast or irregular heartbeat, pain in chest, sexual dysfunction, pale skin, difficulty in concentrating, cramps in legs, and insomnia.

Anemia is diagnosed based on your personal history, family history, physical examination, and the results from tests and other procedures. Your physician may ask questions to know whether you have any of the common signs or symptoms of anemia. She may ask whether you have had an illness in the past that could lead to anemia. Your doctor will do a physical examination to find how severe the anemia is and to check its possible causes. He may listen to your heart for a fast or an irregular heartbeat, listen to your lungs for uneven breathing, and examine your abdomen to check the size of your liver and spleen. These exams will tell your doctor about the severity of anameia. The first test to diagnose anemia is generally a complete blood count (CBC) test. The aim is to measure your hemoglobin and hematocrit levels in the body. Other tests are hemoglobin electrophoresis, reticulocyte count, and tests for the level of iron in your blood.

Various treatment options are available for anemia. The treatment your doctor recommends may depend on the type, cause, and intensity of the problem. Treatments may include diet changes, medicines, procedures, surgery to treat blood loss, and food supplements. The objective of the treatment is to increase the amount of oxygen in your blood. The treatment may include procedures to raise the red blood cell count and/or hemoglobin levels. If the anemia is more severe, your doctor may recommend blood transfusions and blood and marrow stem cell transplants.

 

Mohd Salman is a medical science professional and is associated with DiseaseFix as a researcher. DiseaseFix develops health information modules for patients and provides a unique platform to allow access of summarized reliable information of a variety of types for diseases. To know more about us, please visit http://www.diseasefix.com .

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