Introduction
Anemia is a condition brought about by decreased levels of oxygen transported to the organs and cells of the body (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute 2010). These decreased levels are occasioned by abnormally low counts of red blood cells or lower concentrations of hemoglobin in the red blood cells. It can also be caused by inefficiency by the hemoglobin to combine with the oxygen. Therefore, anything that affects the amount or effectiveness of blood and its erythrocyte component most often leads to Anemia. Basically, the disease is occasioned by low hemoglobin counts. These levels are prescribed by the World Health Organization as in the table below:
Hemoglobin thresholds used in defining anemia (1g/dL=0.6206mmol/L).
Types and causes of anemia
Types of Anemia can generally be classified as either hereditary or developed. The developed types of the condition are mainly brought about by deficiencies in iron or vitamins particularly of the B type (American Association for Clinical Chemistry 2010). Examples of these developed varieties are pernicious anemia which develops as a result of vitamin B-12 deficiency and Megaloblastic anemia. Other common examples are Anemia of Chronic Diseases, Aplastic and Hemolytic anemia. Hereditary examples of anemia are sickle-cell anemia and Thalassemia. Other classifications are also done based on what is affected; the blood itself, red blood cells number and size or hemoglobin (WebMD 2010).
Causes of the disease are therefore widespread as anything affecting the blood may be deemed as triggering the condition. Major causes include; loss of blood due to things like bleeding or menstruation, poor diets resulting to deficiencies, poor absorption of vitamins and inherited factors. General diseases like diabetes or HIV/AIDS and methods used to treat some diseases like Cancer may also be a cause, alongside conditions like Lupus that are autoimmune. Generally, the indirect causes are found to affect associate organs in relation to the blood like the kidneys (McClellan et.al. 2004).
Symptoms
With many types of disease, the symptoms are surprisingly uniform across the board. The major symptoms are general fatigue and a sense of weakness coupled with low levels of energy. As the condition progresses, further varied symptoms may manifest themselves, these include dizziness, paleness of the skin, fast and at times irregular heartbeat and a fast breathing rate due to shortness of breath. Other factors are jaundiced skin, a change in the color of stool, chest pains, numbness or a feeling of being cold and even fainting.
Preventive measures
Proper dieting is the main preventive measure undertaken to avoid developing the disease. The aim is to incorporate foods that are rich in iron and to stock up on vitamins; particularly the B Vitamins. This can be achieved with a variety of foods like leafy vegetables such as spinach and also various animal proteins and products. Basically, a balanced diet will do. One may also find it easier to use iron and specific vitamin supplement pills.
Hereditary caused anemia can also be avoided by prospective parents seeking the advice of a gene counselor to carry out tests and see if both parents are carriers of the gene causing the anemia or not. Such a measure would prevent the cases of children being born anemic.
Treatment of anemia
Treatment mainly depends on the cause of the diseases or the level of affliction, whether acute or chronic (Nabili 2010). While treating anemia, emphasis is placed on trying to figure out what is causing the condition and dealing with it first. For example, anemia due to blood loss through an ulcer should first be treated by dealing with the ulcers then moving on to the anemia. In cases where the production of red blood cells is being affected and leading to reduced amounts of effective red blood cells, the bone marrow may be stimulated to increase the production of the vital blood component.
Treatment of the anemia itself may involve direct intake of iron supplements to address the deficiency of this hemoglobin-making element. Vitamin injections may also be administered. Severe cases may call for advanced treatment in the form of transfusion of both blood and red blood cells (Fauci 2008). Hyperbaric oxygen may also be considered as a method of treatment in special cases where transfusion is not possible (Hart, Lennon & Strauss 1987).
Conclusion
Anemia is generally recognized as the most widespread blood disorder. Many people suffer from the diseases but are not aware of it or are wrongly diagnosed. As with any other disease, attempts to self-diagnose are roundly discouraged against and even though the symptoms may seem obvious, one is advised to visit a doctor. Such a visit is necessary as it aids in the discovery of the underlying cause which must be dealt with as part of the treatment for the anemia. The doctor also gets a chance to assess the severity of the condition thus administering a suitable treatment directive.
Proper diets should be adopted to prevent such avoidable diseases and with the added benefit of achieving a healthy lifestyle. Gene counseling for couples could also be explored in preventing this and other hereditary conditions some of which are more serious to the health of the child.
Reference List
American Association for Clinical Chemistry, 2010. Anemia. Web.
Fauci, A. S., 2008. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, 17th ed. United States: McGraw-Hill Professional.
Hart, G. B., Lennon, P. A. & Strauss, M. B., 2005. Hyperbaric oxygen in exceptional acute blood-loss anemia. Journal of Hyperbaric Medicine, 2 (4), pp. 205–210.
McClellan, W., Aronoff, S. L., Bolton, W. K., Hood, S., Lorber, D. L., Tang, K. L., Tse, T. F., Wasserman, B. & Leiserowitz, M., 2005. The Prevalence of anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease. Current Medical Research and Opinion, 20 (9), pp. 1501-1510.
Nabili, S., 2010. Anemia; Anemia Prevention. Web.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2010. Anemia. Web.
WebMD, 2010. Understanding Anemia- the basics. Web.