anemia

(noun)

A medical condition in which the capacity of the blood to transport oxygen to the tissues is reduced, either because of too few red blood cells, or because of too little hemoglobin, resulting in pallor and fatigue.

Related Terms

Examples of anemia in the following topics:

  • Anemia

    • Anemia is the most common disorder of the blood.
    • Anemia goes undiagnosed in many people, as symptoms can be minor or vague.
    • Anemia is typically diagnosed on a complete blood count.
    • This scheme quickly exposes some of the most common causes of anemia.
    • This is the most common type of anemia overall and it has many causes.

  • Complete Blood Count

    • Women who bleed heavily during menstruation have a high probability of developing iron-deficiency anemia.
    • Calculating the reticulocyte production index indicates whether or not the bone marrow is producing new blood cells at a rate that will correct the anemia, and can also be used to monitor the progress of treatment for anemia.
    • When there is an increased production of red blood cells to overcome chronic or severe loss of mature red blood cells, such as in a hemolytic anemia, people often have a markedly high number and percentage of reticulocytes.
    • Abnormally low numbers of reticulocytes can be attributed to chemotherapy, aplastic anemia, pernicious anemia, bone marrow malignancies, problems of erythropoietin production, various vitamin or mineral deficiencies (B9, B12, iron), disease states (anemia of chronic disease) and other causes of anemia due to poor RBC production.

  • Sickle-Cell Disease

    • Sickle-cell disease (SCD), or sickle-cell anemia, is an autosomal recessive genetic blood disorder with overdominance characterized by red blood cells that assume an abnormal, rigid, and sickle shape.
    • In the United States, about 1 out of 500 African-American children born will have sickle-cell anemia.
    • Sickle cell disease results in anemia and several types of crises.
    • Aplastic crises are acute worsenings of the patient's baseline anemia producing pallor, tachycardia, and fatigue.
    • Sickle cell anemia is caused by a change in hemoglobin's primary structure

  • RBC Life Cycle

    • Deficiency of any of these nutrients may cause anemia, a condition in which there aren't enough fully functional RBCs carrying oxygen in the bloodstream.
    • Many diseases that involve damage to RBCs (hemolytic anemias, sepsis, malaria, pernicious or nutritional anemias) or normal cellular processes that cause cellular damage (oxidative stress) may increase the rate of eryptosis.

  • RBC Anatomy

    • This occurs in people with spherocytic (sphere-shaped) anemia or sickle-cell anemia.

  • Heart Failure

    • This can occur from severe anemia, Gram negative septicaemia, beriberi (vitamin B1/thiamine deficiency), thyrotoxicosis, Paget's disease (a bone disease that puts strain upon the heart), arteriovenous fistulae, or arteriovenous malformations.
    • Reversible causes of the heart failure also need to be addressed: (e.g. infection, alcohol ingestion, anemia, thyrotoxicosis, arrhythmia, hypertension).

  • Medical Uses of Hematopoietic Growth Factors

    • Besides those on dialysis, erythropoietin is used most commonly to treat anemia in people with chronic kidney disease who are not on dialysis (those in stage 3 or 4 CKD) and those living with a kidney transplant.
    • Erythropoietin is a glycoprotein hormone that controls erythropoiesis (RBC production) and is used to treat anemia resulting from chronic kidney disease and myelodysplasia resulting from the treatment of cancer.

  • Renal Disease and Failure

    • In renal failure, there may be problems with increased fluid in the body (leading to swelling), increased acid levels, raised levels of potassium, decreased levels of calcium, increased levels of phosphate, and in later stages, anemia.
    • Other factors that may help differentiate acute kidney injury from chronic kidney disease include anemia and the kidney size on ultrasound.
    • Chronic kidney disease generally leads to anemia and small kidney size.

  • Hypersensitivity

    • Associated disorders: Autoimmune hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, Erythroblastosis, fetalis, Goodpasture's syndrome, Membranous nephropathy, Graves' disease, Myasthenia Gravis.

  • Malabsorption of Nutrients

    • This may lead to malnutrition and a variety of anemias.
    • Many patients suffer from swelling or edema from loss of protein; anemia (commonly from vitamin B12); folic acid and iron deficiency presenting as fatigue and weakness; and muscle cramps from decreased vitamin D and calcium absorption.