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About Anemia and its types

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ANEMIA

Anemia is a medical condition in which the body doesn't have enough healthy red blood cells.
It is often categorised by lower than normal levels of haemoglobin in the blood, indicating unhealthy RBCs.

This leads to reduced oxygen flow to the body's organs. Anemia is a very prevalent disease, especially in the under-developed and developing nations. India is severely hit by anemia. The most common cause of anemia in India is the deficiency of nutrients and iron.

Among the many causes of Anemia, the major ones are as follows

Dietary Deficiency
(Lack of iron (Fe), Vitamin B12, or folic acid in the body)
Malabsorption
(Improper absorption of nutrients)
Blood Loss
(Trauma, Surgery, Peptic Ulcer, Heavy Menstruation, Cancer, etc.)
Other Disorders
(Chronic or Hormonal)
Kidney Disease
(Lack of sufficient quantities of erythropoietin)
Inherited Disorders
(Sickle Cell, Thalassemia, etc.)

SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS OF ANEMIA

Anemia causes loss in efficiency of the body, along with many other symptoms, including:

Headache

Difficulties in Concentration

Loss of Energy

Paleness

Easy fatigue

Dizziness

Insomnia

Shortness of breath

TYPES OF ANEMIA

Depending upon causes Anemia as an illness can be classified into a few main types:

Iron-deficiency Anemia

Also called as Microcytic Hypochromia, it is one of the most common type of anemia, especially in Indians. It is caused mainly due to dietary deficiency of Iron and Iron rich food items. Low hemoglobin level is indicative of such type of Anemia.

Vitamin deficiency Anemia

Also called as Megaloblastic anemia, this type of condition is caused due to the malabsorption of Vitamin B12 needed by the body to make enough healthy RBCs. In this type, there is a lack of healthy red blood cells because one has lower than normal amounts of certain vitamins include Folate, Vitamin B-12, and Vitamin C

Anemia of Chronic Disease

Also called as hemolytic anemia, this type of anemia refers to having low levels of red blood cells as a result of Auto-Immune Diseases (Diseases in which the body's immune system attacks the body's RBCs treating them as foreign pathogens) or other chronic illnesses.

Sickle Cell Anemia

It is also called Sickle Cell Disease. It is an inherited disorder in which the RBCs contort into sickle-like shape, unable to carry out oxygen throughout the body. These cells die quite early; leading to a deficiency of RBCs in the bloodstream.

Thalassemia

It is a blood disorder passed down through families (inherited) in which the body makes an abnormal form or inadequate amount of Haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. The disorder results in large numbers of red blood cells being destroyed, leading to Anemia.

Aplastic Anemia

It is a rare condition in which the body stops producing enough new RBCs. This develops as a result of bone marrow damage and may be present at birth or may occur after exposure to radiation, chemotherapy, toxic chemicals, some drugs or some infection.


The treatment of Anemia heavily depends upon the underlying cause of the illness and diagnosis. Depending upon the type, the patient may be suggested:

1. Iron supplements as a countermeasure against Iron deficiency.
2. Vitamin B12 supplements may be used for low vitamin levels.
3. Blood transfusions are done in case of severe anemia and for countering Blood loss.
4. Medications to induce blood formation are also used.