What are Anemias?
Posted on 11/17/2011
Anemia is a deficiency in the blood, usually of red cells or their hemoglobin, resulting in pallor and tiredness.
Anemia is the general name for a range of disorders affecting red blood cells. There are many types of anemia, which are categorized according to their cause, including iron deficiency, vitamin B12-deficiency, folate-deficiency and sickle cell disease, among others.
Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a protein which is responsible for carrying oxygen in the blood.
The function of red blood cells is to transport oxygen from the lungs to all peripheral tissues and organs in the body.
This transport is achieved by the combination or melt of the oxygen with hemoglobin that is then transported from the lungs via the circulation to every cell in the body, where the oxygen is then released for use.
Therefore a reduction of red blood cells or haemoglobin from every cause will result in a reduced supply of oxygen to the peripheral tissues and organs in the body, giving and resulting in a variety of signs and symptoms, depending on the severity of the anemia.
The main symptoms resulting from anemia are tiredness and fatigue, and exertional breathlessness.
There are several different types of anemia and each one has a different cause. The most common type of anemia is iron deficiency anemia affecting up to 30% of the world's population. Up to 14% of menstruating women in developed countries have iron deficiency anemia.
See the sections below for more information.
· About the blood, Hemoglobin and Bone marrow
