What is Anemia?

Anemia is a condition where someone does not produce enough red blood cells or hemoglobin. Red blood cells are important because they are the cells that contain oxygen and if you don't have enough oxygen in your body, you are prone to weakness and even death. While some cases of anemia are hereditary, there exist the cases where poor diet, pregnancy and other medical conditions cause anemia.

There are three main ways in which someone can develop anemia:

1. Blood loss
2. Decreased or weak red blood cell production
3. Destruction of red blood cells

The most common type of anemia is when someone has iron deficiency. Bone marrow requires iron to produce hemoglobin and without it, red blood cells can't be produced. This would fit the category of blood loss due to either heavy menstrual flow, ulcer, cancer or excessive use of anti-inflammatory drugs. In rare cases, when bone marrow cannot produce red blood cells, a life threatening version of anemia called Aplastic anemia develops. A lack of vitamins and poor diet also develops anemia because it causes the body to have a poor production of hemoglobin and red blood cells. Sometimes, people take supplements but their bodies do not know how to process the vitamin. An example of destruction of red blood cells could be an over sized or diseased spleen. The spleen helps to remove used red blood cell and if it is too large, it has the chances to remove too many red blood cells and thus causing anemia.

The most common symptom of anemia is the feeling of fatigue or just being weak. It can also cause shortness of breath, dizziness, pale skin and chest pains. If someone has a disease or condition prior to getting anemia, it can worsen and their treatments for the disease may not work anymore. Some treatments for anemia include eating foods that contain more iron in them (like red meat or spinach) and taking vitamins to have a healthy diet and system. This goes hand in hand with prevention: the best way to prevent to anemia is to have a balanced diet and to always consult a doctor if symptoms are present. 
  
 


Sources:
Anemia Source 1
Anemia Source 2
Anemia Source 3