Anaemia

Anemia is the most common disorder of the blood. The several kinds of anemia are produced by a variety of underlying causes. It can be classified in a variety of ways, based on the morphology of RBCs, underlying etiologic mechanisms, and discernible clinical spectra, to mention a few. The three main classes include excessive blood loss (acutely such as a hemorrhage or chronically through low-volume loss), excessive blood cell destruction (hemolysis) or deficient red blood cell production (ineffective hematopoiesis).

• Lower than normal blood cells in the blood
• Measured by red blood cell count and hemoglobin below-10 gm/dil

Anaemia cut off points

• Adult Male – below 13 g/dl
• Non pregnant adult Female-below 12 g/dl
• Female with pregnancy-below 11 Gms/dl
• Children 6 months to 6 ys -11 g /dl
• Children 6 years to 14 ys-12 g/dl

Causes

• Folic acid deficiency
• Vitamin B12 deficiency
• Iron deficiency
• Certain diseases causing destruction of blood cells hemolytic anemias
• Repeated infections(like malaria)
• Some kinds of bone marrow diseases
• Blood loss due to injury, diseases
• Poor diet leading to malnutrition
• Inadequate diet intake during pregnancy
• Heavy menstrual periods in women

Signs & symptoms

• Fatigue
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Swelling of the body
• Pallor of skin

Source : Portal content team