Natural Health & Wellness

Anemia is due to three causes:

• Loss of blood
• Inadequate production of red blood cells (RBCs)
• Large amounts of red blood cell deaths

People may suffer from one, two or all of these causes.

Loss of blood – Among the three aforementioned causes, blood loss is the most typical reason for anemia, especially anemia due to lack of iron on the blood.  Blood loss can repeat over the course of time or it can be short-lived. Some of the reasons for blood loss are hemorrhage in the urinary tract or digestive system or even due to excessive menstrual bleeding. Other causes for blood loss can be because of cancer, trauma or surgery. Massive or substantial loss of blood frequently leads to loss of large amounts of RBCs and hence anemia

Low Red Blood Cell Production

Because of inherited or acquired factors and conditions, your body may find it hard to produce enough RBCs. By inherited, it means that your anemia may have been passed on by your parents to you. Acquired, on the other hand, means that your anemia is not caused by your genes and that you have gotten this condition from external factors. Acquired factors can include pregnancy, ongoing or chronic illnesses or a bad diet plan. Aplastic anemia is one form of anemia that hinders your body from manufacturing the right amount of RBCs and it can be either both inherited or acquired.

Diet – Regular eating of foods that are low in vitamin B12, folate or folic acid or iron can eventually lead to anemia.  Also a few amounts of copper, riboflavin and vitamin C are required by the body to produce red blood cells. If you suffer from a health issue that makes it difficult for the body to take in nutrients, it can hinder the body from producing adequate amounts of RBCs.

Hormones – Little or zero amounts of the erythropoietin hormone can result in anemia since this hormone causes the bone marrow to produce red blood cells.

Diseases and therapies that address diseases – Cancer or kidney disease are just a few of a number of chronic diseases that may make it difficult for the body to create adequate amounts of RBCs.

Certain therapies that address cancer like chemotherapy can obliterate or impair the bone marrow or destroy the ability of the RBCs to carry oxygen. Obviously if the bone marrow is destroyed or damaged, the body loses or limits its only means to produce red blood cells and since red blood cells die within a short period of time, there may not be enough RBCs produced to replace the ones that are destroyed or have died. Patients with AIDS or HIV can become anemic due to the medicines used to treat these diseases or due to other infections caused by these two conditions.

Pregnancy – Pregnancy is the time when a woman’s body uses large amounts of red blood cells to support herself and her baby. Many times, there is not enough folic acid or iron in her body which can lead to anemia.  The first 6 months of a woman’s pregnancy can see the rapid increase of the female’s blood fluid or plasma and apparently the production of red blood cells in her body is not fast enough to match the plasma development. Her blood then becomes diluted and this can result in anemia.

Aplastic Anemia

The term aplastic anemia refers to the condition some infants have when their body is unable to produce right amounts of red blood cells. Children and infants with aplastic anemia need frequent blood transfusions to add more blood cells to the low supply of RBCs they have in their blood.

Aplastic anemia can be genetically inherited or acquired from factors such as infectious diseases, toxins and certain medications.

Large Amounts of Red Blood Cell Deaths

Factors that can both be inherited or acquired can result in your body killing large amounts of your red blood cells.  The spleen is the organ whose duty is to take out old and spent red blood cells in the body. A diseased or enlarged spleen, may take out not only spent and old RBCs but healthy ones as well resulting in anemia.

In terms of inherited factors that force the body to kill a lot of RBCs can include conditions like the deficiency of specific enzymes, thalassemias and sickle cell anemia. These issues create factors that cause RBC abnormalities and make the affected RBCs to die earlier compared to the unaffected healthy red blood cells.

Hemolytic anemia can be an inherited or acquired condition that makes the body kill substantial amounts of red blood cells. Certain factors that can cause hemolytic anemia include:

• Reactions to blood transfusions
• Certain drugs
• Infections
• Immune disorders

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There are certain types of anemia with distinct and corresponding symptoms.  The symptoms of anemia can be based on the underlying cause and to underlying medical issues like cancer, menstrual problems, ulcers or hemorrhage. Certain signs and symptoms of anemia may manifest be seen first early during the start of the condition.

The body can compensate for the early onset of anemia and if a person’s anemia has been ongoing for an extended period of time or is mild, it may not show any symptoms at all

The following is a number of symptoms commonly shared by many kinds of anemia:

• Insomnia
• Leg cramps
• Pale skin
• Dizziness
• Difficulty concentrating
• Headache and shortness of breath especially when exercising
• Abnormally rapid heart rate especially during exercise
• Loss of energy and easy fatigue

Iron Deficiency Anemia Symptoms

For individuals suffering from this condition, the may experience, symptoms like:

• Mouth sores and formation of crack at the edges of the mouth
• Koilonychias – This is a condition where the fingernails tend to curve upward.
• Pica – This is an abnormal craving to things like dirt, ice or paper

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Anemia

Sufferers of this type of anemia may exhibit the following symptoms:

• Schizophrenia, paranoia and hallucinations
• Dementia
• Stiffness and clumsiness of the legs and arms
• Walking difficulty or a gait the wobbles
• Impairment of the sense of touch
• Tingling sensation of the hands or feet

Chronic Lead Poisoning Anemia

People experiencing this problem may show symptoms like:

• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Abdominal pain
• Lead line – A development on the gums of a blue-black line

Chronic Red Blood Cell Destruction Anemia

Symptoms of this type of anemia include:

• Development of gallstones
• Stunted growth in infancy
• Leg ulcers
• Red or brown urine
• Jaundice – Yellow eyes and skin

Sickle Cell Anemia

Symptoms of this condition can include:

• Bouts of severe pain in the limbs, abdomen and joints
• Retarded development and growth in children
• Susceptibility to infection
• Fatigue

Sudden Red Blood Cell Destruction Resulting in Anemia

The symptoms of this kind of anemia can be:

• Signs of kidney failure
• Seizures
• Small bruises below the skin
• Yellow skin or jaundice
• Red or brown urine
• Stomach pain

When to Call a Doctor

If any of the following signs or symptoms manifests or if you want to know more about conditions that can lead to anemia, then it’s time to go and talk to your doctor:

• You know that anemia problems run in your family and you want to avail of genetic counselling before you have an offspring.
• You have worries about having been exposed to lead for prolonged and many amounts of time
• Show symptoms of colorectal cancer, hemorrhoids, gastritis or ulcer
• Show very heavy menstrual cycles
• Little intake of minerals and vitamins and/ or a bad diet
• Paling of the skin, rapid heart beat, breathlessness, constant fatigue and any other symptoms of anemia

For females who are planning to become pregnant, their physician may advise them to start taking supplements, particularly folate, as soon as possible that can benefit their baby and themselves.

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