ANAEMIA
What is anaemia?
The main function of the red blood cells is to transport oxygen around the body. Red blood cells carry a chemical called haemoglobin that allows them to do this. Anaemia is a reduction in the amount of haemoglobin or the number of red blood cells to below normal levels. This means that your blood is less able to transport oxygen around your body.
Why do people get anaemia?
Anaemia is caused by many different factors, thus, there are many types of anaemia. Anaemia can be caused by losing blood. This may be a gradual blood loss, for example in women having periods, or a sudden blood loss, such as if a stomach ulcer bursts.
Anaemia is also caused by your body not producing enough red blood cells. This occurs if your diet does not include enough iron, vitamin B12 or folic acid. It also occurs if your bone marrow (where your red blood cells are made is damaged, as in leukaemia, or is not working hard enough, as in kidney disease or in some forms of cancer.
Anaemia is also caused by your red blood cells maturing and being broken down too quickly. This occurs in some conditions that are inherited, such as sickle-cell anaemia, or it may be due to an acquired condition, such as malaria or kidney failure.
Anaemia can be caused by other chronic illnesses, such as kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, tuberculosis, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Who gets anaemia?
Anybody can get anaemia. In the UK, it is most common in women between the ages of 15 and 44 years and in both men and women over the age of 75 years. The usual cause of anaemia in the UK is iron deficiency.
Women having periods, pregnant women, premature infants and children need a lot of iron, so they must eat plenty of foods with a high iron content (see table opposite) or they may need iron supplements. Vegetarians must also ensure that they eat food with a high iron content as it is more difficult for the body to absorb iron from vegetables than from meat. They must also ensure that their vitamin B12 intake is sufficient, as this vitamin is present in significant quantities in meat. Other good sources of vitamin B12 include fish, eggs and milk.
What are the symptoms of anaemia?
Some people will not have any symptoms of anaemia. Common symptoms are feeling tired, lethargic, faint and breathless and having dizzy spells, headaches, and palpitations (when your heart is beating faster than usual).
How is anaemia diagnosed?
Your doctor will ask questions to find out your medical history and will examine you. He/she will do blood tests to see if you are anaemic and may also carry out other tests to find out what caused your anaemia.
What Treatment is available?
Your treatment will depend on the type and cause of your anaemia. If it is due to a lack of vitamins or minerals, for example iron, your doctor will prescribe replacements in the form of tablets or injections or he/she will give you medication to help your body absorb the lacking element better. If your anaemia is caused by some other illness, then this illness will be treated directly.
Are there side-effects?
The usual side-effects from taking iron tablets are feeling sick, having an upset stomach, having constipation or diarrhoea and darkened stools.
Help Yourself
- If your anaemia is due to an intake deficiency, eat plenty of foods with a high content of that element (see table below) and foods that have the deficient element added, such as cereals.
- Take your medication exactly as recommended by your doctor.
- Take..care to keep your medication away from children. Iron tablets can kill children.
- Your doctor may suggest that you have blood tests to check that the treatment is working. Have these tests done on time as recommended by your doctor.
Good food sources in anaemia
- Iron: Liver, meat, green vegetables, flour, eggs, milk.
- Vitamin B12: Meat, fish, eggs, milk.
- Folic acid: Green vegetables (particularly broccoli and spinach), liver, kidney. (Do not overcook vegetables.)