Am I At Risk Of Developing Anemia Of Chronic Disease?

Do you have any type of chronic infection (like HIV/AIDS or tuberculosis)?

Do you have cancer?

Do you have a chronic kidney disease?

Do you have rheumatoid arthritis?

Do you have systemic lupus erythematosus (or lupus)?

Do you have vasculitis (an inflammation of blood vessels)?

Do you have sarcoidosis?

Do you have inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis?

Do you have diabetes?

Do you have a heart failure?

Are you obese?

Based on your answers you have a low risk of developing anemia of chronic disease. Anemia of chronic disease (ACD) is also known as anemia of inflammation. It is a common type of anemia that can affect anyone who has any kind of chronic disease that may be related to inflammation. ACD often occurs in older adults. About one million people over the age of 65 in the United States have this type of anemia. Anemia of chronic disease develops slowly. It is usually mild to moderate, so often people with ACD do not actually feel the symptoms of anemia, but only the symptoms of the underlying disease.

Based on your answers you have a moderate of developing anemia of chronic disease. Anemia of chronic disease is the second most common type of anemia after iron-deficiency anemia. When you have an infection or a chronic disease that causes inflammation, your immune system will cause changes in the way your body functions. It can happen that your body does not use and store iron as usual, or your red blood cells can have a shorter lifespan (they die before they are replaced by new red blood cells), which all can lead to anemia. People with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and sarcoidosis often have ACD.

Based on your answers you have a high risk of developing anemia of chronic disease (ACD). ACD is a type of anemia that occurs as a result of altered body function due to inflammation caused by chronic diseases or infections. Almost every person with chronic kidney disease will get anemia because the kidneys produce less erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that signals the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. Also, the bone marrow can react incorrectly to EPO and reduce the production of red blood cells. People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may have iron deficiency anemia due to blood loss and ACD at the same time.