Anemia is a very common disorder of the blood, and it happens when the blood’s ability to transfer oxygen from the lungs to the blood is substandard. When this happens, the condition known as hypoxia occurs. Hypoxia is when the cells of the body are deprived of an adequate amount of oxygen.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
The symptoms of Anemia are fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, chest pains, headaches and a fast heartbeat. The symptoms of Anemia are often masked by the activities of everyday life, and most adults who are afflicted with these symptoms often misread these symptoms as stress from work or fatigue due to sports.
Initially, the symptoms of Anemia are mild enough to be ignored. However, as the symptoms progress, they can be dangerous as they can lead to more severe complications.
The best way to diagnose anemia is by a process called hemogram, which is a full blood count. In this process, blood is taken from a patient, placed with a test tube and mixed with an anticoagulant (to prevent clotting). Afterwards, this sample can either be sent to an automatic blood counting machine or viewed under a microscope for manual counting. The test is commonly about the number of red blood cells and other blood components found in the sample, as well as the quality of hemoglobin present.
Classes of Anemia
There are three main classes of anemia. The first is anemia due to blood loss (either by one single excessive blood loss or chronic blood loss in small quantities), another is anemia due to excessive blood cell destruction, and the last is due to deficient red blood cell production.
Possible Complications
Anemic people who are involved in strenuous activities are the first ones to feel fatigue. The lack of oxygen in the muscles forces the muscles to go through the process of anaerobic metabolism, which leads to muscle fatigue. Low oxygen supply in major organs may cause these organs to fail when anemia is left untreated.
One of the most dangerous complications of anemia is the impairment of the immune system. Anemic patients, because their immune system also lacks the proper oxygen and nutrients it needs to fight invaders, are open prey to other diseases, viruses and ailments.
Also, chronic anemia in infants may lead to low performance in school when they enter school age. It may also lead to behavioral problems such as the attention deficit disorder.
Medication and Treatment
Since most cases of anemia are due to a deficiency in the mineral iron, which is an important substance in hemoglobin, most cases of anemia may be treated by re-supplying the body with the iron it needs. Iron can be found in food such as red meat and green leafy vegetables. Also, iron polysaccharide mineral supplements are available in the market in pill or tablet form.
In extreme cases, blood transfusion or a bone marrow transplant may be needed to cure the person of anemia.
