Most common questions used to investigate
Do you know the symptoms of anemia?
Are you aware of the possible diagnosis?
Do you know the best ways to treat anemia?
Do you know that anemia can be of different types?
Do you know the causes of anemia?
Are you aware of the risk factors?
Common conclusions
Some of the common symptoms of anemia are tiredness, weakness, dizziness, and headaches. While these may sound common and can apply to many diseases, it is best distinguished by extreme tiredness where you may not even be able to get up to do your daily activities. Such extreme fatigue will also persist all the time and this is a clear sign of anemia.
The most common way to diagnose anemia is to take a complete blood count (CBC) test. This will count the number of blood cells in a blood sample, especially the red blood cells as well as the amount of hemoglobin present in your blood. Ideally, the hematocrit value ranges from 40 to 52% for men and 35 to 47% for women. Hemoglobin levels should be 14 to 18 grams per deciliter for men and 12 to 16 grams for women.
Taking iron supplements every day can increase your iron and hemoglobin count over time. It should also be backed by nutritious food that's rich in iron. If there are any sources of bleeding, other than menstruation, that should be stopped as well, and sometimes, this could require an invasive procedure. Overall, you should do everything possible to limit blood flow out of your body and at the same time, eat the right foods to boost the iron content.
There are five types of anemia and they are, aplastic anemia, iron deficiency anemia, sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, and vitamin deficiency anemia. Out of these, iron deficiency anemia is the one that can be treated with iron supplements and other types of anemia may need more specialized treatment.
At the simplest level, anemia occurs when your blood doesn't produce enough red blood cells. This can be due to excess bleeding, poor nutrition, or even a condition when your body destroys the red blood cells. When the number of red blood cells goes down, the levels of hemoglobin also go down with it because it is these cells that contain hemoglobin. Also, this hemoglobin is responsible for carrying oxygen to all parts of your body efficiently, so lower levels can impede that functionality as well, thereby leading to fatigue
Anemia is more common among people who don't have a diet rich in iron and folate. Also, those with intestinal disorders, excess bleeding during menstruation, pregnancy, cancer, kidney diseases, diabetes, any other chronic disease, family history, autoimmune disorders, and those over the age of 65 are at a higher risk of anemia.
Regardless of whether you fall in the risk zone or not, you should eat a healthy diet to stave away this condition.
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