What is anemia?

Anemia is a condition in which the quantity of healthy red blood cells in your body is insufficient. A low red blood cell count means that the quantity of oxygen in your blood is lower than it should be. Red blood cells transport oxygen to all of the body's tissues; thus a low red blood cell count indicates that the amount of oxygen in your blood is lower than it should be.

Reduced oxygen supply to the body's critical tissues and organs causes many of the symptoms of anemia.

The quantity of hemoglobin in red blood cells, which transports oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues, is used to determine anemia.

Types of anemia

1.Aplastic anemia

When your body stops creating enough new blood cells, you get aplastic anemia. You'll feel exhausted, and you'll be more susceptible to infections and uncontrollable bleeding as a result of the disease.

2.Iron-deficiency Anemia

Iron deficiency anemia is a frequent form of anemia in which the blood does not contain enough healthy red blood cells. The oxygen-carrying red blood cells are responsible for transporting oxygen to the body's tissues.

Iron deficiency anemia results from a lack of iron in the body. The body can't generate enough of a component in red blood cells that allows them to carry oxygen if you don't have enough iron (hemoglobin). As a result, anemia caused by iron deficiency might make you fatigued and short of breath.

3.Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle cell anemia is one of the diseases that make up sickle cell disease. Sickle cell anemia is a hereditary red blood cell disease in which the body's supply of healthy red blood cells is insufficient to transport oxygen throughout the body.

The flexible, spherical red blood cells normally flow freely across blood arteries. The red blood cells of sickle cell anemia are shaped like sickles or crescent moons. These stiff, sticky cells can become trapped in small blood arteries, causing blood flow and oxygen to areas of the body to halt or stop.

4.Thalassemia

Thalassemia (thal-uh-SEE-me-uh) is a hereditary blood disease in which the body produces less hemoglobin than it should. Hemoglobin is a protein that allows red blood cells to transport oxygen. Thalassemia can induce anemia, which might make you tired.

5.Vitamin deficiency anemia

Vitamin deficiency anemia is characterized by a shortage of healthy red blood cells produced by low levels of specific vitamins. Folate, vitamin B-12, and vitamin C are among the vitamins related to vitamin deficiency anemia.

Anemia caused by vitamin deficiency can develop if you don't consume enough folate, vitamin B-12, or vitamin C, or if your body has problems absorbing or digesting these vitamins.

Types of anemia mostly seen in women

1.Iron-deficiency anemia

When your body doesn't have enough iron to make hemoglobin, you get iron deficiency anemia. Hemoglobin is a component of red blood cells that gives blood its red color and allows them to transport oxygenated blood throughout the body.

If you don't eat enough iron or lose too much, your body won't be able to generate enough hemoglobin, and iron deficiency anemia will develop.

The following are some of the causes of iron-deficient anemia:

1.There is a loss of blood: The red blood cells in the blood contain iron. As a result, if you lose blood, you also lose iron. Because blood is lost during menstruation, iron deficiency anemia is a danger for women who have heavy blood discharge in their menstrual cycle. Iron deficiency anemia is caused by slow, persistent blood loss within the body, such as from a peptic ulcer, a hiatal hernia, a colon polyp, or colorectal cancer. Regular use of several over-the-counter pain medications, particularly aspirin, can cause gastrointestinal bleeding.

2.A diet deficient in iron: Your body receives iron from the meals you eat daily. Your body might become iron deficient over time if you ingest too little iron. Leafy green vegetables and iron-fortified foods are examples of iron-rich foods.

3.A lack of iron absorption: In your small intestine, iron from meals is absorbed into your circulation. Iron deficiency anemia can be caused by an intestinal problem such as celiac disease, which impairs your intestine's capacity to absorb nutrients from digested food. Your capacity to absorb iron and other nutrients may be impaired if part of your small intestine has been bypassed or surgically removed.

4.Inadequate vitamin C intake: Vitamin C aids in the absorption of iron, and a lack of it may raise the risk of iron deficiency anemia.

5.Pregnancy: Both the mother and the fetus require iron throughout pregnancy. Iron deficiency anemia occurs in many pregnant women without iron supplementation because their iron stores must service their enlarged blood volume as well as provide hemoglobin for the growing fetus.

6.If a woman has endometriosis, she may experience significant blood loss that is concealed in the abdomen or pelvic area.

7.Menstruation-related blood loss. In women, heavy monthly bleeding can lead to iron deficiency anemia.

Risk factors

Anemia is a prevalent disease that affects men and women of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. Iron deficiency anemia affects certain people more than others, including:

Women of reproductive age.

Pregnant women.

Women who eat a poor diet.

2.Vitamin deficiency anemia

Vitamin deficiency anemia is characterized by a shortage of healthy red blood cells produced by low levels of specific vitamins. Folate, vitamin B-12, and vitamin C are among the vitamins related to vitamin deficiency anemia.

Anemia caused by vitamin deficiency can develop if you don't consume enough folate, vitamin B-12, or vitamin C, or if your body has problems absorbing or digesting these vitamins.

Causes

When your body lacks the vitamins, it needs to generate enough healthy red blood cells, you get vitamin deficiency anemia. The oxygen from your lungs is carried throughout your body by red blood cells.

Vitamin deficiency anemia can occur if your diet is low in key vitamins. Your body may develop vitamin deficiency anemia if it is unable to absorb the nutrients from the meals you eat.

Vitamin deficiency anemia can be caused by a variety of factors, including:

3. Folate deficiency anemia

Folate, or vitamin B-12, is a nutrient found mostly in fruits and leafy green vegetables. A deficit might result from a diet that is regularly deficient in certain items.

If your body is unable to absorb folate from meals, you may be deficient. The small intestine absorbs the majority of nutrients from meals. You could have trouble absorbing folate or folic acid, which is a synthetic version of folate found in meals and supplements, if:

You have a small intestinal illness, such as celiac disease

You've had a big portion of your small intestine surgically removed or bypassed

You drink a lot of alcohol

You use prescription medications, such as anti-seizure medications.

Pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding, as well as those who are on dialysis for renal illness, have a higher requirement for folate. If this increased demand is not met, a shortage may occur.

4. Vitamin B-12 deficiency anemia

A diet deficient in vitamin B-12, which is found mostly in meat, eggs, and milk, can cause vitamin B-12 insufficiency.

The most frequent cause of vitamin B-12 deficiency anemia is a shortage of a chemical known as intrinsic factor, which is produced when your immune system assaults the stomach cells that make this material. Pernicious anemia is the name for this kind of anemia.

Intrinsic factor is a stomach-secreted protein that binds to vitamin B-12 in the stomach and transports it through the small intestine to the circulation. Vitamin B-12 cannot be absorbed without intrinsic factors and is excreted as waste.

Pernicious anemia is more likely to occur in those who have endocrine-related autoimmune diseases such as diabetes or thyroid disease.

If your small intestine doesn't absorb vitamin B-12 for reasons other than a lack of intrinsic factor, vitamin B-12 deficiency anemia can develop. This may occur if:

You've undergone stomach or small intestine surgery, such as a gastric bypass.

You have an intestinal condition that prevents vitamin absorption, such as Crohn's disease or celiac disease.

You ate infected seafood and ingested a tapeworm. The tapeworm depletes your body's nutritional reserves.

5. Vitamin C deficiency anemia

If you don't receive enough vitamin C from your diet, vitamin C deficiency might occur. Vitamin C insufficiency can also occur if your capacity to absorb vitamin C from meals is impaired. Smoking, for example, reduces your body's capacity to absorb vitamin C.

Certain chronic diseases, such as cancer or chronic renal disease, raise your risk of vitamin C deficiency anemia by interfering with vitamin C absorption.

Risk factors

Natural vitamin dietary sources, such as meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables, are scarce in your diet. This group includes vegetarians who don't consume dairy products and vegans who don't eat any animal products.

Overcooking your meals regularly can also lead to vitamin deficiencies.

Pregnant women do not use a multivitamin supplement. Supplementing with folic acid is especially crucial during pregnancy.