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What is Anemia?
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Anemic is a term you may have heard often. There may have been
times, when you’ve been told that you are anemic. What is anemia?
Is it a disease? No, it is not a disease, but a condition. Most of
us who have been called anemic are hale and hearty and carrying on
with a normal life. What is it?
Anemia is actually a Greek word for bloodlessness. There the
meaning is clear – anemia means having less blood. But does it mean
that the amount of blood flowing in your body has reduced? No,
certainly not, the term “less blood’ means that the amount of red
blood cells in the body has reduced. The amount of red blood cells
or erythrocytes make up what is referred to as the hemoglobin
content of blood. The red blood cells carry oxygen to various parts
of the body. So those with a condition of anemia have an inadequate
quantity of oxygen supplied to their tissues. As a result, they
exhibit symptoms like shortness of breath, low vitality, dizziness,
digestive disorders and a sickly pallor. |
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What causes anemia?
There maybe more than one cause for this condition. A deficiency of
nutrients or hormones can lead to this condition. The reason for the
deficiency may be either a disease or other conditions like
malnutrition. In certain cases, the production of red blood cells in
the body is normal but due to a congenital problem they may be
destroyed at a rapid rate leading to anemia. An excessive loss of
blood due to an accident may also lad to anemia.
There are different types of anemia, the most common type being
iron deficiency. At certain stages during one’s lifetime, such as
during childhood and during pregnancy, the body’s requirement of
iron increases. If the requirement is not met by a nutritious diet
or dietary supplement then it results in iron deficiency anemia.
Another type of anemia known as pernicious anemia generally
affects people after they cross the age of forty. This type of
anemia has nothing to do with iron deficiency but is caused due to
the body lacking the required quantity of Vitamin B12 .
This deficiency is not caused due to anything lacking in the diet
but is the result of the body’s inability to absorb a sufficient
quantity of the vitamin from the diet.
A third type of anemia is known as sickle cell anemia and is
hereditary in nature. Those with this type of anemia are not able
to synthesize hemoglobin properly.
Treatment
In extreme cases, an anemic person may be advised blood transfusion
for restoring the balance of red blood cells in the body. Special
nutritious diets are also advised, in order that the body absorbs
sufficient iron though diet itself. In the case of pernicious
anemia, supplements of Vitamin B12 are given. The
medication given aims at stimulating the body to produce more red
blood cells and at removing the underlying causes of deficiencies. |
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