ABSTRACT

Anaemia is a disease in which we do not have enough red blood cells that contain iron containing protein

haemoglobin that transport oxygen to all parts of body. Anaemia occurs when there is blood loss due to physical

injury or due to menstruation in female. It can be prevented by eating balanced diet and also using iron supplements.

Anaemia symptoms include fatigue, yellowish skin, yellowish eyes and feeling fever all the time.

Keywords: Anaemia; Malnutrition; Deficiency

INTRODUCTION

Anaemia is a condition in which you lack healthy red blood cells

that transfer proper amount of oxygen to all the parts of the

body. The word “Anaemia” explain itself “an” mean without and

“aemia” mean red blood cells. If you have Anaemia then you feel

fatigue and weakness all the day. Anaemia may be defined as a

condition in which there is a deficiency of haemoglobin

concentration in body and it may vary from person to person

and gender to gender. The concentration of haemoglobin in

men who have Anaemia is below 13 g/dl and in young girls of

more than 15 years it is below 12 g/dl [1]. Its condition may vary

from mild to severe in different people. It is curable at early stage

and at acute stage it is serious and may be fatal [2].

Symptoms

Anaemia symptoms are different due to the cause of the

Anaemia you have and their signs and symptoms are fatigue and

weakness [3] all the time, pale or yellowish skin, abnormal heart

beats, shortness of breath, sleeping all the time, chest or back

pain, headache, their hands and feet are cold all the time and

they cannot perform their routine work and are lazy all the time

[4].

Causes

There are many causes of Anaemia but malnutrition is the main

cause. The other factors that cause Anaemia are the iron

deficiency, vitamin deficiency (vitamin B-12), chronic diseases,

huge bleeding due physical injuries and during menstruation

that leads to loss of red blood cells, in some cases your body

itself destroy the red blood cells and the body does not form the

red blood cells [5]. Certain infectious diseases, pregnancy and

age also cause severe Anaemia. At an age greater than 65 it may

become severe if it is not controlled at an earlier stage [2].

Intestinal diseases, family background, alcoholism, sickle cell

Anaemia, haemolytic Anaemia, malarial Anaemia also leads to

chronic Anaemia [6].

Tests

Anaemia becomes complicated when it is not identified at initial

stage. So when its symptoms appear one should consult the

doctor. The test for Anaemia is CBC (complete blood count)

which tells the exact composition of your blood and it tells

either you are anaemic or not [7]. If your red blood cells that

contain iron containing protein haemoglobin that carry oxygen

to all parts of body are less than normal value then you are

anaemic and if it is normal level then you are normal and not

anaemic [8].

Complications of anaemia

Anaemia causes many complications if it is not treated at initial

stages. It causes severe fatigue when it becomes complicated and

that person feels sick and tired all the time [7]. If pregnant

women has Anaemia of iron deficiency then it causes problems

like premature birth etc. [8]. Anaemia can also cause heart

problem because when you have Anaemia heart pumps more

blood to all parts of the body to overcome the oxygen deficiency

and the heart faces more burden and it becomes enlarged.

Some types of Anaemia which are inherited like sickle cell Anaemia

and thalassemia are more dangerous and are fatal [9].

Preventions

Anaemia is fatal disease when it becomes complicated, so it

should be controlled at initial stage by adopting preventive

measures to avoid it [10]. Eat iron rich food like meat, beans,

nuts, green vegetables like spinach, full grain cereals, dried

fruits, multivitamins, fruits which are rich in vitamin C [2].

Treatment

Anaemia is an iron deficiency disease so it can be treated by

using iron containing foods like green vegetables and dates.

When you have Anaemia, to overcome the deficiency of iron it

is necessary to use iron supplements and multivitamins tablets

[7]. When it becomes very complicated then blood transfusion

becomes necessary. It becomes very complicated in young girls

due to menses and also in pregnant women so they need proper

treatment because it is more common in females [11]. What Can Cause Your Body

To Make Too Few

Red Blood Cells?

Acquired Causes Inherited Causes

l Folate or iron deficiency

from poor diet

l Demand for RBCs

outstrips supply

l Some cancers (e.g.,

leukemia, lymphoma,

and multiple myeloma)

l Toxins (e.g., pesticides)

l Radiation and

chemotherapy treatments

for cancer

l Some viral infections

(e.g., hepatitis and

Epstein-Barr)

l Some antibiotics and

medicines for rheumatoid

arthritis

l Autoimmune disorders

(e.g., lupus)

l Pregnancy

l Fanconi anemia

l Shwachman-Diamond

syndrome

l Dyskeratosis congenita

l Diamond-Blackfan

anemia

l Amegakaryocytic

thrombocytopenia

CONCLUSION

Anaemia is very serious disease for females so they should be

aware of it. It is also common in children and elders above 65

years. Due to lack of awareness about Anaemia many people die

when it becomes complicated especially pregnant women [12]. It

is our moral duty to create awareness about Anaemia by social

media and by arranging seminars. People should be aware of

symptoms, preventions, and treatments of Anaemia.

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