What does anemic mean




















Blood loss. When the amount of blood lost is greater than your body's ability to replace the lost red blood cells, you can become anemic. Women who experience heavy menstrual periods, for example, and people who have internal bleeding due to ulcers or other digestive problems are at the greatest risk for anemia.

Sometimes this type of blood loss is silent and unrecognized until anemia shows up on a blood test. External bleeding from surgery or trauma also can cause anemia. Low production of red blood cells. Even if you're not bleeding, old red blood cells constantly need to be replaced with new ones. A number of factors can cause your body to produce too few red blood cells, or red blood cells lacking in sufficient hemoglobin.

People who are anemic most often experience fatigue. When aplastic anemia is caused by radiation, chemotherapy, and other drugs, the condition tends to subside once treatments stop.

For women who develop aplastic anemia when pregnant, the condition usually improves once they're no longer pregnant. Having sickle cell anemia means having a lifelong condition because a blood and bone marrow transplant are the only cure, and a small percentage of people with the disease actually get the transplant. While pernicious anemia is a lifelong condition, treatment can help people feel well and live normal lives.

In most cases, early diagnosis and treatment can help reverse complications of pernicious anemia, such as nerve damage. When the underlying condition that is causing anemia of chronic disease is treated, the condition tends to go away.

Learn More About Anemia Treatments. While there's no known prevention for aplastic anemia, staying clear of insecticides, herbicides, organic solvents, paint removers, and other toxic chemicals may lower your risk. While pernicious anemia caused by a lack of intrinsic factor is not preventable, those who develop the disease because they lack B12 in their diet can potentially reduce the impact by eating foods high in B12, such as beef, eggs, fortified cereal, and more, yet ultimately they are likely to need high-dose B12 supplementation or injections under their doctors' guidance.

Anemia affects 1. Children who are preschool age are greatly affected. Nonpregnant women have the greatest prevalence, while men experience the lowest occurrences. As the most common blood condition in the United States, anemia affects three million Americans.

In some cases, B12 deficiency can be caused by conditions such as infections, surgery, medicines, and diet. Crohn's and celiac disease can also interfere with B12 absorption. Anemia of chronic disease can be caused by inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis , Crohn's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, diabetes, and degenerative joint disease. Infectious diseases, such as HIV, hepatitis , tuberculosis, heart infection, and bone infection, can also lead to anemia of chronic disease.

Additionally, kidney failure and cancers, such as Hodgkin disease, non- Hodgkin lymphoma , and lung and breast cancer, can cause anemia.

Sometimes getting the right amount of iron from your diet isn't enough if your body isn't able to absorb it properly. For instance, people who've had intestinal surgery, such as gastric bypass, or those with Crohn's disease or celiac disease , may have trouble absorbing iron.

Iron absorption can also be limited by prescription medicines that reduce acid in the stomach. Blood loss is another cause of iron deficiency anemia because whenever you lose blood from your body, iron loss also occurs. If you don't have enough iron stored in your body to make up for the iron lost in your blood, you can develop anemia. Blood loss that leads to low iron levels can result from: 10 , Symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia vary depending on how severe your anemia is.

If you have mild to moderate iron-deficiency anemia, you may not have any signs or symptoms. But as the condition worsens, you may experience: If you're mildly anemic, your doctor may recommend a diet filled with iron-rich foods. The foods with the highest iron content are:. Take note that iron from vegetable sources is less readily absorbed than iron from meat, poultry, or seafood.

With all forms of anemia, tiredness or fatigue is the most common symptom because of low red blood cell count. Shortness of breath, dizziness, headache, coldness in your hands and feet, pale or yellowish skin, and chest pain are other signs. When you have low red blood cells, your heart has to work harder to move oxygen-rich blood through your body.

When this occurs, you can experience irregular heartbeat, enlarged heart, or even heart failure. If your doctor suspects you may have pernicious anemia, he or she can confirm it with blood tests. Bone marrow tests can also detect this type of anemia because when pernicious anemia is present, bone marrow cells that turn into blood cells are larger than normal. Learn More About Anemia Resources. Sources Anemia. Cleveland Clinic. August 25, Scheller B.

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There are different types of anemia, including, but not limited to: Iron-deficiency anemia, which is the most common type of anemia and occurs when your blood doesn't have enough iron to produce healthy red blood cells and hemoglobin. Iron deficiency anemia symptoms may be mild, but as the condition advances, can get worse and include: 11 Extreme fatigue Weakness Pale skin Chest pain, rapid heartbeat, or shortness of breath Headache, dizziness, or light-headedness Cold hands and feet An inflamed or sore tongue Brittle nails Odd cravings for ice, dirt, or starch Loss of appetite, most often in babies and kids Aplastic anemia symptoms may include: 5 , 6 Bleeding Infection Nausea Skin rashes These symptoms may be severe from the start, or gradually worsen over time.

Other symptoms include: Weakness Shortness of breath and chest pain Dizziness, especially after standing up from a sitting or lying position Headaches Pale skin Bruising or bleeding easily Uncontrollable bleeding Nosebleeds, bleeding gums, bloody stool, or heavy menstrual bleeding Cold feeling in your hands and feet Fever due to infection Recurring infections or flu-like symptoms The appearance of small red dots on the skin that indicates bleeding under the skin Rapid heart rate Sickle cell anemia symptoms can develop in some children earlier than others and typically start after the fifth or sixth month of life.

Common signs and symptoms include: 8 Yellowish skin, known as jaundice Yellowish whites of the eyes, known as icterus Fatigue or fussiness Painful swelling of the hands and feet Frequent infections, especially pneumonia Fatigue and weakness Episodes of pain, called sickle cell crises, occur when sickled red blood cells block blood flow to the limbs and organs Pernicious anemia may show similar symptoms to other anemias.

But because it is caused by lack of absorption of vitamin B12, and similar to inadequate B12 intake in the diet, a severe deficiency in B12 may cause: 14 Tingling and numbness in hands and feet Muscle weakness Loss of reflexes Loss of balance Trouble walking Weakened bones, leading to hip fractures Neurological problems, such as confusion, dementia, depression, and memory loss Nausea, vomiting, heartburn , abdominal bloating and gas, constipation or diarrhea, loss of appetite, and weight loss Enlarged liver Smooth, thick, red tongue Infants who have B12 deficiency may show the following signs and symptoms: 14 Poor reflexes or unusual movements like face tremors Difficulty feeding due to tongue and throat problems Irritability Permanent growth problems if left untreated Anemia of chronic disease may cause similar signs and symptoms to other anemias, such as fatigue, pale skin, light-headedness, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, irritability, and chest pain.

Red blood cells play a central role in anemia. Acquired aplastic anemia, which is more common than the inherited form, may result from: Toxins, including benzene a chemical sometimes used in manufacturing and chemical synthesis , pesticides, and arsenic Chemotherapy and radiation therapy for cancer treatment Various infectious diseases, including hepatitis, HIV , and Epstein-Barr virus a type of herpesvirus , lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or other autoimmune disorders those in which the immune system attacks healthy cells Pregnancy Certain drugs, including some antibiotics, immunosuppressants, and some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs Cancer that has spread to the bone Causes of inherited aplastic anemia, which is rare and develops from genes that are passed down from parent to child, include: Fanconi anemia Diamond—Blackfan anemia Shwachman—Diamond syndrome Dyskeratosis congenita Over time, severe heart issues may develop, such as arrhythmia irregular heart beat , angina , enlarged heart, and heart failure.

Such foods include: 14 Beef, liver, poultry, and fish Eggs and dairy products Soy-based drinks and veggie burgers Breakfast cereals with added vitamin B12 B12 deficiency can also be caused by other factors and conditions, such as infections, surgery, medicines. Anemia of chronic disease can be caused by the following chronic conditions: 13 Inflammatory diseases , which are conditions that produce an inflammatory response in the body can cause anemia of chronic disease for several reasons: The inflammatory response can produce cytokines, a protein that protects the body against infection and interferes with iron processing and red blood cell production.

Inflammation can cause internal bleeding that leads to a decrease in red blood cell count. Words related to anemic feeble , frail , sickly , listless , bloodless , infirm , pallid , wan , watery , ashen , etiolated , faint , languid , lifeless , livid , low , lusterless , pale. Is 15 Percent Too Much to Ask? Truthbetold December 6, TruthBeTold.

The Eugenic Marriage, Vol. Grant Hague. Without enough iron, your body can't produce enough of a substance in red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen hemoglobin. As a result, iron deficiency anemia may leave you tired and short of breath. You can usually correct iron deficiency anemia with iron supplementation. Sometimes additional tests or treatments for iron deficiency anemia are necessary, especially if your doctor suspects that you're bleeding internally. Initially, iron deficiency anemia can be so mild that it goes unnoticed.

But as the body becomes more deficient in iron and anemia worsens, the signs and symptoms intensify. If you or your child develops signs and symptoms that suggest iron deficiency anemia, see your doctor. Iron deficiency anemia isn't something to self-diagnose or treat. So see your doctor for a diagnosis rather than taking iron supplements on your own.

Overloading the body with iron can be dangerous because excess iron accumulation can damage your liver and cause other complications. Iron deficiency anemia occurs when your body doesn't have enough iron to produce hemoglobin.

Hemoglobin is the part of red blood cells that gives blood its red color and enables the red blood cells to carry oxygenated blood throughout your body. If you aren't consuming enough iron, or if you're losing too much iron, your body can't produce enough hemoglobin, and iron deficiency anemia will eventually develop.

Mild iron deficiency anemia usually doesn't cause complications.



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