There is a disease that is very common among most Egyptian people, and this disease can lead to a lot of damage in the human body, that is anemia.
Anemia is a condition in which you lack enough healthy red
blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your body's tissues.
The body needs RBCs
to survive. They transport hemoglobin, a complex protein that attaches to iron
molecules. These molecules carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
Various health conditions can result in low levels of RBCs. In some people, it
can be difficult to identify what is causing a low RBC count.
Types of anemia
There are many types of anemia and no single cause.
Aplastic anemia, Iron deficiency anemia, Sickle cell anemia, Thalassemia, Vitamin deficiency anemia, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, and Anemia due to chronic disease.
Causes of anemia
Blood loss
When the body loses blood, it draws water from tissues beyond the bloodstream to help keep the blood vessels full. This additional water dilutes the blood, reducing the RBC count.
Blood loss can be acute and rapid or chronic. Some causes of rapid blood loss include surgery, childbirth, and trauma.
Chronic blood loss is more often responsible for anemia. It can result from a stomach ulcer, cancer, or another type of tumor.
Other causes
of anemia due to blood loss include:
A)gastrointestinal conditions, such as ulcers, hemorrhoids, cancer, or gastritis
B)the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen
C)heavy menstrual bleeding
Decreased or impaired RBCs
Several diseases can affect the bone marrow, including leukemia. This is a type of cancer that triggers the production of excessive and abnormal white blood cells, disrupting the production of RBCs.
Problems with bone marrow can cause anemia. Aplastic anemia, for example, occurs when few or no stem cells are present in the marrow.
In some cases, anemia results when RBCs do not grow and mature as usual, as with thalassemia — a hereditary form of anemia.
Other types of anemia that occur due to decreased or impaired RBCs include:
Sickle cell
anemia
This causes
RBCs to be shaped like crescents. They may break down more quickly than healthy
RBCs or become lodged in small blood vessels.
This
blockage can reduce oxygen levels and cause pain further down in the
bloodstream.
Iron-deficiency
anemia
This
involves the body producing too few RBCs due to a lack of iron in the body.
Iron-deficiency
anemia may develop as a result of
a
diet low in iron, menstruation, frequent blood donation, endurance training, certain
digestive conditions, such as Crohn’s
disease and medications that irritate the gut lining, such as
ibuprofen
Vitamin-deficiency
anemia
Vitamin B-12
and folate are both essential for the production of RBCs. If a
person does not consume enough of either vitamin, their RBC count may below.
Some
examples of vitamin-deficiency anemia include:
A) megaloblastic anemia
B)pernicious anemia.
Destruction of RBCs
These cells typically have a life span of 120 days in the bloodstream, but the body may destroy or remove them before they complete their natural life cycle.
One type of anemia that results from the destruction of RBCs is autoimmune hemolytic anemia. It occurs when the immune system mistakes RBCs for a foreign substance and attacks them.
Many factors can cause an excessive breakdown of RBCs, including:
Infections, certain drugs, including some antibiotics, severe hypertension, vascular grafts, and prosthetic heart valves, toxins produced by advanced kidney or liver disease, an autoimmune attack, due to hemolytic disease, for example, and snake or spider venom.
Symptoms
At first, anemia can be so mild that you don't notice it. But symptoms worsen as anemia worsens.
Anemia signs and symptoms vary depending on the cause. If the anemia is caused by a chronic disease, the disease can mask them, so that the anemia might be detected by tests for another condition.
Depending on the causes of your anemia, you might have no symptoms. Signs and symptoms, if they do occur, might include:
Fatigue, Weakness, Pale or yellowish skin, Irregular heartbeats, Shortness of breath, dizziness or lightheadedness, Chest pain, Cold hands and feet, and Headaches.
Treatment
There is a range of treatments for anemia. Each aims to increase the number of RBCs, which, in turn, increases the amount of oxygen in the blood.
A)Iron-deficiency anemia: Iron supplements and dietary changes can help, and, when relevant, a doctor will identify and address the cause of excessive bleeding.
B)Vitamin deficiency anemia: Treatments can include dietary supplements and vitamin B-12 shots.
C)Thalassemia: Treatments include folic acid supplements, iron chelation, and, for some people, blood transfusions and bone marrow transplants.
D)Anemia due to chronic disease: The doctor will focus
on resolving the underlying condition.
E) Aplastic anemia: Treatment involves blood
transfusions or bone marrow transplants.
F)Sickle cell anemia: Treatment typically involves
oxygen therapy, pain relief medication, and intravenous fluids, but it can also
include antibiotics, folic acid supplements, blood transfusions, and a cancer
drug called hydroxyurea.
G)Hemolytic anemia: The treatment plan may include
immunosuppressant drugs, treatments for infections, and plasmapheresis, which
filters the blood.
A doctor can use a CBC blood test to help detect anemia. Anemia occurs when a low number of RBCs are circulating in the body. This reduces the person’s oxygen levels and can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, pale skin, chest pain, and breathlessness. Treatment varies, depending on the type, but it may include iron or vitamin supplements.
Written by /Manar Ahmed
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