The most common cause of anemia is low levels of iron in the body. This type of anemia is called iron-deficiency anemia. Your body needs a certain amount of iron to make hemoglobin, the substance that moves oxygen throughout your body. However, iron-deficiency anemia is just one type. Other types are caused by:

•    Diets lacking in vitamin B12, or you can’t use or absorb Vitamin B12 (like pernicious anemia).
•    Diets lacking in folic acid, also called folate, or your body can’t use folic acid correctly (like folate-deficiency anemia).
•    Inherited blood disorders (like sickle cell anemia or thalassemia).
•    Conditions that cause red blood cells to break down too fast (like hemolytic anemia).
•    Chronic conditions causing your body to not have enough hormones to create red blood cells. These include hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, advanced kidney disease, lupus and other long-term diseases.
•    Blood loss related to other conditions such as ulcers, hemorrhoids or gastritis.
 

What causes iron-deficiency anemia?

You can get iron-deficiency anemia from:
•    Bleeding, either from losing a large amount of blood quickly (for instance, in a serious accident) or losing small amounts of blood over a long period of time. The body loses more iron with blood loss than it is able to replace with food. This can happen to women having heavy menstrual periods or in people who have inflammatory bowel disease.
•    Not getting enough iron in the diet.
•    Needing more iron than you did previously (for instance, during pregnancy or illness).
Some types of iron-deficiency anemia are called by other names related to the cause, such as anemia of chronic disease (also called anemia of inflammation) or acute blood loss anemia.
Other types of anemia

Pernicious anemia
In a strict sense, pernicious anemia happens when a person lacks something called intrinsic factor, which lets them absorb vitamin B12. Without vitamin B12, the body cannot develop healthy red blood cells. Other types of anemia that involve lack of B vitamins, such as B9 (folic acid), are also often lumped in as pernicious anemia. This name may refer to other conditions, including folic acid deficiency anemia and Addison’s anemia, even though there is no intrinsic factor deficiency.

Hemolytic anemia
This type of anemia can be caused by inherited or acquired diseases that cause the body to make deformed red blood cells that die off too quickly. (An acquired disease is one that you didn’t have when you were born.) If it is not genetic, hemolytic anemia can be caused by harmful substances or reactions to certain drugs.

Sickle cell anemia
This genetic form of anemia happens because the shape of the red blood cells is faulty. They are sickle shaped, which means that they can clog the blood vessels and cause damage. The hemoglobin does not work correctly. This type of anemia is most often, but not always, found in African Americans.

Diamond-Blackfan anemia
This is a rare blood disorder that may be inherited or acquired. In this type of anemia, the bone marrow does not make enough red blood cells. Diamond-Blackfan anemia is diagnosed within the first year of life in nearly 90% of people who have it.

Aplastic anemia
This is a type of anemia in that is caused by damaged bone marrow which is unable to make enough red blood cells. It also may be congenital or acquired. Another name for aplastic anemia is bone marrow aplasia (failure). Some people might think of this condition as cancer, but it is not.
There is something referred to by some people as myelodysplastic anemia. However, myelodyplastic syndromes (MDS) refer to actual cancer and are a result of abnormal cells in the bone marrow.

Fanconi anemia
This type of anemia is also rare and it is genetic. It happens because the bone marrow does not make enough red blood cells. There are physical signs of this condition, such as abnormal bone structure and abnormal skin color. About 50% of people with this condition are diagnosed by the time that they turn 10 years old.

Mediterranean anemia
This condition is also known as Cooley’s anemia and actually refers to beta thalassemia major. Thalassemias are inherited conditions in which your body does not make the right amount of hemoglobin. In addition to not making enough of these cells, the red blood cells do not live as long as they would in someone without the condition.

Vegetarian or vegan anemia
This term refers to the idea that people who are vegetarians or vegans have a difficult time getting enough iron because they don’t eat meat, poultry or seafood. However, careful food planning makes this statement false. There are plenty of ways to get enough iron with a plant-based diet.
Your healthcare provider might also use terms for anemia that refer to the size of the red blood cells. These words include terms like macrocytic anemia (larger than normal cells) or microcytic anemia (smaller than normal cells).
 

Tuesday, September 8, 2020 - 11:06