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Anemia

Anemia is a medical condition where your blood has insufficient healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin. Hemoglobin(Hb) is the vital part of red blood cells that binds to oxygen. If there is a deficiency or abnormality of red blood cells or hemoglobin, there is a disruption in the oxygen supply throughout the body. Hemoglobin levels of < 13.5 gram/100 ml for men and < 12 gram/100 ml for women indicates anemia.


According to National Family Health Survey, more than half of the women in India (i.e., 55 %) are anemic wherein 39% of the women are mild anemic, 15 % are moderate anemic and 2 % with severe anemia.



Signs and Symptoms


A patient with anemia may exhibit one or more of these symptoms.


In addition to the above symptoms, there are few specific symptoms associated with the specific type of anemia.

Iron deficiency anemia:


Vitamin B12 deficiency (pernicious anemia) anemia:


Anemia caused due to chronic lead poisoning:


Anemia due to chronic red blood cells destruction:


Sickle cell anemia:



How to find out whether I have anemia?


If you have the symptoms of anemia, you must first go to a doctor. Your doctor would first do a physical examination and then would ask you to get a blood test.

The tests to diagnose anemia includes:

Component Normal levels Interpretation
Red Blood Cell Males: 4.5-5.5 million RBCs per mcL

Females: 4.0-5.0 million RBCs per mcL

Decreased levels indicate anemia
Hemoglobin Males: 14-17.4 g/dL

Females: 12-16 g/dL

Decreased levels indicate anemia
Hematocrit Males: 42%-52%

Females: 36%-48%

Decreased levels indicate anemia


How to treat Anemia?


Medical and Surgical Interventions

Treatment varies according to the type of anemia:

  1. Treatment for Iron deficiency anemia: Iron supplements and dietary modifications are the mainstay of therapy. If the cause of iron deficiency is blood loss other than from menstruation, the source of bleeding is identified and blocked.
  2. Treatment for vitamin deficiency anemia: Treatment involves inclusion of vitamin and folic acid rich foods in the daily diet regime. If the patient is not able to absorb vitamin B-12 from the diet, then it is injected. The frequency and duration of the vitamin B-12 injections depend upon the patient’s condition.
  3. Treatment of anemia due to chronic disease: If anemia is caused due to any chronic disease, the physicians usually focus to treat the underlying disease condition. If the symptoms are severe, blood transfusion or synthetic erythropoietin is administered to stimulate the production of red blood cells.
  4. Treatment for Aplastic Anemia: Treatments of this type of anemia includes blood transfusions. Bone marrow transplant may be required if your bone marrow is diseased and cannot produce healthy blood cells.
  5. Hemolytic anemia: Management of hemolytic anemia includes immunosuppressant drugs that prevent the immune system from attacking the healthy red blood cells. Blood transfusions or plasmapheresis may also be necessary as per the patient’s condition. In few cases, surgical removal of the spleen is the option.
  6. Treatment for sickle cell anemia: The treatment for this includes the administration of oxygen, pain-relieving drugs, and oral or intravenous fluid to prevent any further complications. Also, blood transfusion, folic acid supplements and antibiotics are suggested. Hydroxyurea (Droxia, Hydrea) is used to treat sickle cell anemia.
  7. Treatment for thalassemia: It is usually treated with blood transfusions, folic acid supplements, medication, surgical removal of the spleen (splenectomy) and blood or bone marrow stem cell transplant.

Home Remedies:


There are many types of anemia but the most common type is due to iron deficiency. In a pregnant woman, iron deficiency anemia can cause serious complications. Since the occurrence of anemia is more in woman, they need to be extra cautious about their daily diet. At home, you can increase vitamin C intake like orange, lemon etc. Add more green vegetables to your diet. Drink beetroot or pomegranate juice, raisin and dates.




Why choose Apollo Diagnostics?


We have the expertise of 34 + years in healthcare. Our labs are equipped with EQUAS (External Quality Assurance System) and loaded with full automated machines to ensure error free reports, with a quick turnaround time, and at an affordable price. For your convenience, we offer free home collection of samples.

For appointments, please call 9205478479.


Reference


Understanding Anemia- The basics. https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-anemia-basics#1. Accessed on 13/10/2017

Understanding Anemia- Symptoms. https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-anemia-symptoms#1. Accessed on 13/10/2017

https://www.medicinenet.com/anemia/article.htm. Accessed on 13/10/2017

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anemia/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351366. Accessed on 13/10/2017


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