Anemia causes and treatment

Anemia is the condition when the number of red blood cells in blood is less. The person suffering from anemia is known as anemic. For instance, doctors describe someone as anemic when their blood count is low. Blood is comprised of a liquid part and a cellular part. The cellular part contains different cell types called red blood cells, white blood cell and platelets. One of the most important blood cell is red blood cell. The function of red blood cell is to deliver oxygen from lungs to different parts of the body.

Red blood cell involves the series of complex and specific steps. They are made in the bone marrow and when the maturation is completed, blood cells are released into blood streams. Even though blood cell are produced in bone marrow many other factors are involve in its production for example iron; a very important component of hemoglobin molecule, a molecule secreted by the kidneys, promotes the formation of blood cells in the bone marrow.

Healthy red blood cell lives between 90 and 120 days. The part of your body removes the dead and decayed blood cells. Hormone called erythropoietin signal the body to produce more blood cells. The body needs enough of vitamins, minerals and nutrients to produce blood cells, iron, vitami
B12 and folic acid are some of the important components that are needed. The body may not have enough of nutrients because of
• Change in lining of the stomach and intestines affects how well nutrients are absorbed
• Poor diet
• Slow blood loss because of heavy menstrual period and stomach ulcer
• Surgery that removes part of the stomach or intestines

The major and most common causes of anemia are;
• Certain medicines
• Destruction of red blood cells earlier than normal
• Long-term disease like chronic kidney disease, cancer, ulcerative colitis or rheumatoid arthritis
• Inherited forms of anemia such as thalassemia or sickle anemia
• Pregnancy
• Problem with bone marrow

At an initial stage, when anemia is minor you may not discover any kind of symptoms but gradually if the problem is further developed you may find certain signs like;
• Feeling grumpy
• Feeling weak or tiered
• Headache
• Problem concentrating or thinking
• Blue color to the whites of eye
• Brittle nail
• Headache when you stand
• Pale skin color
• Shortness of breath
• Sore tongue

Doctor may perform physical examination on the patient and is likely to find heart murmur, low blood pressure especially when you stand up, pale skin, rapid heart rate. Blood test helps to discover some common cause of anemia includes blood levels of iron, vitami
B12, folic acid, other vitamin and minerals, red blood cells or hemoglobin.

Treatment depends on the cause of anemia. Few of the common treatment involve;
• Blood transfusion
• Medicine that suppress the immune system such as corticosteroids
• Medicine that helps your bone marrow makes more blood cells like erythropoietin
• Supplements of vitami
B12, iron, folic acid, and other vitamins and minerals

Severe anemia cause low oxygen level in various parts of the body such as heart and can cause heart attack.