Anaemia

Blood disorders

Anaemia
Introduction

Blood contains a fluid called plasma that includes three different types of cells:

white blood cells are part of the body’s immune system, and defend it against infection,

red blood cells carry oxygen around the body in a substance called haemoglobin, and

platelets help the blood to clot.

Red blood cells are produced in the bone marrow. Vast quantities (millions) of new cells are produced each day to replace old cells that break down. Nutrients from food, such as iron and certain vitamins, help ensure that your bone marrow remains healthy, and is able to produce a constant supply of red blood cells and haemoglobin.

Anaemia

Red blood cells carry oxygen around the body. Anaemia is a condition where the blood is unable to carry enough oxygen due to a low number of red blood cells, or because each red blood cell is unable to carry as much oxygen as normal. Common symptoms of anaemia include feeling tired, faint, or breathless.There are several different types of anaemia, and each one has a different cause. One of the most common causes is iron deficiency. Other causes can include pregnancy, heavy periods, poor iron absorption caused by certain intestinal (gut) diseases, bleeding from the intestines, and a lack of certain vitamins, such as folic acid and vitamin B12.

Symptoms

Common symptoms of anaemia include:

tiredness,
lethargy,
feeling faint, and
breathlessness.

Less common symptoms of anaemia include:
headaches,
palpitations (irregular heart beat),
an altered sense of taste, and
ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
Depending on the underlying cause of your anaemia, you may also develop a number of other symptoms (as outlined below).
Iron deficiency anaemia
Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common type of anaemia, affecting up to 30% of the world’s population. In developed countries, up to 14% of menstruating women have iron deficiency anaemia. The symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia include:
sore tongue (glossitis),
painful cracks at the corners of the mouth (cheilosis),
difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia),
brittle, flaking nails,
spoon-shaped nails,
pale skin (pallor), and
loss of weight.
Occasionally, if you have iron deficiency anaemia, you may have unusual dietary cravings (known as pica). In young children, iron deficiency anaemia can sometimes cause behavioural and developmental problems, and weaken their immune system.
Pernicious anaemia
Pernicious anaemia occurs when vitamin B12 cannot be absorbed properly from the diet. It causes soreness of the tongue, weight loss, skin pallor (often with a lemon tint), and intermittent diarrhoea. If left untreated, pernicious anaemia can affect the nervous system, causing tingling of the fingers and toes, muscle weakness, pains in the legs and difficulty walking, depression, and confusion.
Megaloblastic anaemia
In megaloblastic anaemia, the red blood cells are large and abnormal (megablastic). This type of anaemia develops if there is a deficiency of vitamin B12, or folic acid. As well as the general symptoms listed above, megaloblastic anaemia can also cause soreness of the tongue, indigestion, and diarrhoea.
Haemolytic anaemia
The symptoms of haemolytic anaemia include pale skin (often with a yellowish tinge), and an enlarged spleen, due to the break down of red blood cells (haemolysis).
Aplastic anaemia
Aplastic anaemia is a very rare condition, affecting just 2-5 people per million. It occurs when the bone marrow fails to produce sufficient numbers of red blood cells. It causes fever, sore throat, bruising, bleeding and blood spots, pale skin, and signs of heart failure (chest pain).

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