What is Anaemia?
Anaemia is when the blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells or haemoglobin than is normal. Red blood cells containing the oxygen-binding chemical, haemoglobin, is produced and released into the bloodstream each day. To do this healthy bone marrow and nutrients such as iron and vitamins are required. Having too few or abnormal red blood cells or low levels of haemoglobin prevents the body from getting enough oxygen, resulting in fatigue.
There are two main forms of anaemia;
Folate-deficiency anaemia
The lack of vitamins such as folic acid and vitamin B12, causes the body to produce abnormally large sized red blood cells that cannot function properly, therefore sufficient oxygen is not transported around the body.
Anaemia usually doesn't present with many symptoms. Commonly occuring symptoms come about due to the reduced amount of oxygen being transported around the body, including tiredness, lethargy, feeling faint and becoming easily breathless. The severity of the symptoms depend on how quickly the condition develops.
Symptoms may appear immediately or develop gradually if anaemia is caused by an underlying long-term condition, such as a stomach ulcer.
Less commonly experienced symptoms include headaches, a thumping heart (palpitations), altered taste, ringing in the ear, feeling itchy, hair loss, sore and red tongue, painful open ulcers on the corners of your mouth.
Anaemia occurs when the body doesn’t have enough iron, folic acid or vitamin B 12, leading to the decreased or abnormal production of red blood cell that carry oxygen around the body.
Iron deficiency;
Heavy menstrual periods :
Heavy bleeding during menstruation is the most common cause of iron deficiency.
Pregnancy :
Women are particularly susceptible during pregnancy as the body needs more iron to ensure sufficient blood supply for the baby carrying oxygen and nutrients.
Gastrointestinal blood loss:
Bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, which is responsible for digestion, is the most common cause for men and women who’ve experienced menopause. Bleeding can be caused by stomach ulcers, cancer, fragile blood vessels in the tract or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Chronic kidney disease:
People with this condition often develop iron deficiency anaemia.
Poor absorption:
The body is unable to absorb iron from food due to conditions such as Crohn’s disease or coeliac disease.
Poor diet:
A lack of iron in your diet, especially for vegetarians.
Vit B12 and folic acid deficiency;
Pernicious anaemia:
An autoimmune conditions attacking cells that produce intrinsic factor, a protein aiding in the absorption of vitamin B12.
Diet :
A lack of Vitamin B12 or folic acid in your diet.
Other conditions:
Conditions affecting the stomach such as gastrectomy and the intestines such as Crohn’s disease, resulting in poor absorption.
Medication:
Certain medicines, such as for indigestion and epilepsy, reduce the amount of vitamin B12 or folic acid in your body.
Excessive urination::
Caused by underlying conditions such as congestive heart failure, acute liver damage or long-term dialysis.
Anaemia can be diagnosed by your doctor upon carrying out a physical examination to check for gastrointestinal bleeding or signs of heart failure, along with asking you questions regarding your diet, lifestyle, menstrual pattern and medical history to determine the cause of anaemia.
The diagnosis can be easily confirmed with a blood test, where a blood sample is taken from your arm and tested for a full blood count. If you have anaemia, the results will show low levels of red blood cells and haemoglobin than normal and possibly low levels of ferritin, a protein that stores iron.
Treatment for anaemia aims to address the underlying cause of anaemia and supplement the lack of vitamins and minerals. We at ‘The Online Surgery’, offer supplements for iron, folic acid and vitamin B12.
The diagnosis can be easily confirmed with a blood test, where a blood sample is taken from your arm and tested for a full blood count. If you have anaemia, the results will show low levels of red blood cells and haemoglobin than normal and possibly low levels of ferritin, a protein that stores iron.
Iron supplements :
Restores the missing iron in the body to treat iron deficiency anaemia. We prescribe Ferrous fumarate
Vitamin supplements:
Replaces the deficient vitamins in the body. We prescribe folic acid in the form of tablets, including Folic acid and Pregaday.
