The Basic Things You Should Know About Anemia

Anemia is a common blood disorder in which your body does not produce enough red blood cells. Anemia widely affects children, women, and men at any stage of life. Globally, there are over 1.6 billion people are affected by anemia. Women and patients with chronic diseases are at a higher risk of developing anemia.

What is anemia?

Anemia is a condition of lack of red blood cells that carries oxygen to all body tissues and low red blood cell count shows a low level of oxygen in your blood than normal levels. It can be mild to severe.

There are various types of anemia with their cause and treatments. Anemia can be mild to severe as per the level of hemoglobin, but you can prevent this condition by improving your diet.

What are the causes of anemia?

Many conditions lead to anemia, including simple diet deficiency to major underlying causes. Common causes of anemia are as follows –

1. Poor nutrition

2. Pregnancy-related anemia

3. Active bleeding like piles, ulcers

4. Chronic diseases such as cancer, kidney diseases

5. Genetic problem

6. Drug-induced anemia

What are the symptoms of anemia?

If you have mild anemia, you may not have many symptoms. The sign and symptoms depend on the cause and level of hemoglobin in the body. Signs and symptoms of anemia might include:

1. Fatigue and weakness

2.  Shortness of breath

3.  Headache

4. Chest pain

5. Dizziness

6. Increased or irregular heartbeats

7. Pale skin, nails, and mucous membrane

8. Craving for indigestible items

What will be the treatments for anemia?

1. Anemia treatment depends on its underlying cause. There are many treatment options based on the type and severity of anemia. In iron or vitamin B12 deficiency anemia, you need to eat healthy foods and sometimes need nutritional supplements.

2. In some other cases, if anemia is severe and caused because of some pathology, then the doctors may prescribe some medications and injections to treat anemia like Erythropoietin injections, hormonal medicines, or some antibiotics.

3. Other forms of anemia may require intense treatment, like surgery-to stop blood loss or blood transfusion.