What is Anemia?
Anemia, or anemia, is a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells, or hemoglobin protein. Anemia is diagnosed by low levels of hemoglobin or hematocrit in blood tests. Symptoms of anemia can include extreme fatigue, cold hands and feet, pale skin, brittle nails and shortness of breath. The most common type of anemia is iron deficiency anemia and can be temporary or chronic.
Anemia is a condition in which the amount of red blood cells, hemoglobin or total blood in the body is insufficient. In this condition, there are not enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin to carry enough oxygen to the organs. Symptoms of anemia can include fatigue, pale skin, shortness of breath, dizziness and rapid heartbeat.
Lack of red blood cell production and a deficiency of important vitamins and minerals can cause anemia. A hemoglobin level per liter of blood below 130 grams in men, 120 grams in women and 140 grams in newborns is considered anemia.
Anemia can occur in men and women of any age, but iron deficiency anemia is more common in young women. This is usually caused by excessive blood loss during menstruation.
Anemia can be temporary or chronic and can be reduced by various medications, treatments and dietary programs.
What Causes Anemia?
There are 4 main causes of anemia: blood loss, a deficiency in the production of red blood cells, rapid destruction of red blood cells and the body needs vitamins and minerals (iron, vitamin B12 and folic acid) but does not get enough of them.
Anemia due to blood loss is usually caused by menstrual bleeding in women, stomach or intestinal bleeding, or a decrease in platelets or clotting factors. Problems in the production of red blood cells can be due to various chronic diseases, bone marrow cancers (leukemia) and hereditary diseases. In addition, some medications, autoimmune diseases, cancers, pregnancy, infancy, adolescence and advanced age are also among the causes of anemia.
The body needs vitamins such as B12 and minerals such as folic acid (B9) to produce red blood cells. The most common cause of iron deficiency anemia is not enough iron in the body. Iron is an essential component of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen. When the body is low in iron, hemoglobin is underproduced and oxygen transport is affected. Iron deficiency anemia is more common in women than in men and is usually caused by excessive menstrual bleeding or malnutrition.
What are the Types of Anemia?
Anemia is divided into four types: aplastic, hemolytic, megaloblastic and pernicious.
Aplastic anemia occurs when cells in the bone marrow are destroyed by the immune system. In this case, not enough blood is produced and the number of red blood cells and other blood cells decreases.
Hemolytic anemia is a condition in which red blood cells are destroyed before normal. The bone marrow cannot produce blood cells at a fast enough rate and anemia develops. This type of anemia can have many causes, including autoimmune hemolytic anemia, which occurs when the body’s own antibodies break down red blood cells.
Megaloblastic anemia occurs when there is a problem with DNA synthesis. This is usually caused by a deficiency of vitamin B12 or folic acid. In this case, red blood cells are produced less than normal, even though they are larger than normal.
Pernicious anemia is a type of autoimmune anemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 is essential for blood formation and is absorbed from the stomach. In this disease, the body’s own antibodies block the absorption of vitamin B12.
What are the Symptoms of Anemia?
- Weakness and feeling tired: Insufficiency of red blood cells or hemoglobin may prevent enough oxygen from reaching the organs. This can create a feeling of weakness, fatigue and lack of energy.
- Headache: When organs do not receive enough oxygen, blood vessels in the brain can dilate, causing a headache. This may also cause dizziness.
- Dizziness: When not enough oxygen reaches the brain, symptoms such as dizziness may occur.
- Shortness of breath: When the body cannot get enough oxygen, symptoms such as shortness of breath may occur.
- Acceleration of heartbeat: When the oxygen level of the blood drops, the heart may try to balance the situation by working harder. This may cause the heartbeat to become rapid and irregular. If anemia is left untreated, it can lead to cardiovascular diseases.
- Skin pallor: Anemia can reduce blood flow to the skin, resulting in a pale skin appearance.
- Coldness in hands and feet: Anemia can affect blood circulation in the body, which can cause a feeling of coldness in hands and feet.
- Tingling in the hands and feet: Poor blood circulation can cause a tingling sensation in the hands and feet.
- Brittle nails: Iron deficiency can affect hemoglobin production, which can cause nails to become brittle.
- Concentration impairment: Anemia can cause concentration problems in some cases.
- Being aggressive and irritable: Especially in children, anemia can affect the nervous system and lead to changes in behavior.
