Indulge with “red”, avoid Anemia
Are your friends starting to tell you that you have a very pale skin? After a short walk, do you usually experience shortness of breath, weakness and fatigue and feel the rapid beating of your heart? Are you constantly experiencing lightheadedness and headaches, confusion and having memory loss plus unexplained irritability, numbness and loss of balance? If the answer is yes, then you better start contacting your doctor and set a date for a check-up. Don’t be surprised if the diagnosis tells you that you have anemia.
Anemia is a condition that refers to the qualitative or quantitative deficiency of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is found in the red blood cells and is responsible for transporting the oxygen coming form the lungs to the different parts of the body. Having sufficient amount of hemoglobin is very important since human cells depend on oxygen. Now, when a person has anemia, lack of oxygen in organs or hypoxia can be expected resulting to the different symptoms mentioned above.
Anemia can be classified into its several kinds, each kind caused by different factors. People with relatives having anemia have a possibility of acquiring the disease because it is hereditary. One form of inherited type is the sickle cell anemia. Patients diagnosed with this disease suffer from pain in the joints and bones plus infections and sometimes, heart failure. Most African Americans have this medical condition in which sickle-shaped red blood cells are stiff and unable to squeeze through the blood vessels. Another inherited type of anemia is called Thalassemia. The problem here lies on the defective genes producing hemoglobin. It has two known forms, thalassemia minor and major. Thalassemia major or Cooley’s anemia usually requires a bone marrow transplant in treating the patient.
Aplastic anemia, also hereditary is considered as one of the deadliest but rare form of anemia usually found in adolescents and young adults. Statistically, only 2 to 6 people per million have this disease caused by the unexplained failure of the bone marrow to produce the necessary types of blood cells. Aside from acquiring it hereditarily, constant exposure to benzene and certain pesticides may also lead to this type of disease.
Not having the proper diet may also make a person anemic. As the saying goes, “you are what you eat”. One of the common causes of anemia is the lack of iron in the system. Iron is an essential element of hemoglobin. Having insufficient amount of iron in our body decreased the incorporation of hemoglobin in the red blood cells. Generally, people need 18 milligrams of Iron daily but menstruating women are advised to have more. Good sources of iron are red meat, liver, eggs, seafood like tuna, salmon and oysters. Grains such as wheat and oats, along with beans, soy, leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, mustard and some dried fruits can be taken too to avoid Iron deficiency.
Vitamin B-12, like Iron, is also essential in the production of hemoglobin. This vitamin is absorbed form food via a chemical secreted by the stomach. However, there are cases in which the person can’t readily absorb the vitamin. As a result, they develop a condition called Vitamin B-12 deficiency or Pernicious anemia. Excellent providers of vitamin B-12 include meat, dairy products and eggs.
A complete blood count test is the first step in diagnosing anemia. Here, the number of red blood cells and level of hemoglobin are recorded. At present time, other tests are also available not only for detecting anemia but also for telling what kind of anemia it is.
Are your friends starting to tell you that you have a very pale skin? After a short walk, do you usually experience shortness of breath, weakness and fatigue and feel the rapid beating of your heart? Are you constantly experiencing lightheadedness and headaches, confusion and having memory loss plus unexplained irritability, numbness and loss of balance? If the answer is yes, then you better start contacting your doctor and set a date for a check-up. Don’t be surprised if the diagnosis tells you that you have anemia.
Anemia is a condition that refers to the qualitative or quantitative deficiency of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is found in the red blood cells and is responsible for transporting the oxygen coming form the lungs to the different parts of the body. Having sufficient amount of hemoglobin is very important since human cells depend on oxygen. Now, when a person has anemia, lack of oxygen in organs or hypoxia can be expected resulting to the different symptoms mentioned above.
Anemia can be classified into its several kinds, each kind caused by different factors. People with relatives having anemia have a possibility of acquiring the disease because it is hereditary. One form of inherited type is the sickle cell anemia. Patients diagnosed with this disease suffer from pain in the joints and bones plus infections and sometimes, heart failure. Most African Americans have this medical condition in which sickle-shaped red blood cells are stiff and unable to squeeze through the blood vessels. Another inherited type of anemia is called Thalassemia. The problem here lies on the defective genes producing hemoglobin. It has two known forms, thalassemia minor and major. Thalassemia major or Cooley’s anemia usually requires a bone marrow transplant in treating the patient.
Aplastic anemia, also hereditary is considered as one of the deadliest but rare form of anemia usually found in adolescents and young adults. Statistically, only 2 to 6 people per million have this disease caused by the unexplained failure of the bone marrow to produce the necessary types of blood cells. Aside from acquiring it hereditarily, constant exposure to benzene and certain pesticides may also lead to this type of disease.
Not having the proper diet may also make a person anemic. As the saying goes, “you are what you eat”. One of the common causes of anemia is the lack of iron in the system. Iron is an essential element of hemoglobin. Having insufficient amount of iron in our body decreased the incorporation of hemoglobin in the red blood cells. Generally, people need 18 milligrams of Iron daily but menstruating women are advised to have more. Good sources of iron are red meat, liver, eggs, seafood like tuna, salmon and oysters. Grains such as wheat and oats, along with beans, soy, leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, mustard and some dried fruits can be taken too to avoid Iron deficiency.
Vitamin B-12, like Iron, is also essential in the production of hemoglobin. This vitamin is absorbed form food via a chemical secreted by the stomach. However, there are cases in which the person can’t readily absorb the vitamin. As a result, they develop a condition called Vitamin B-12 deficiency or Pernicious anemia. Excellent providers of vitamin B-12 include meat, dairy products and eggs.
A complete blood count test is the first step in diagnosing anemia. Here, the number of red blood cells and level of hemoglobin are recorded. At present time, other tests are also available not only for detecting anemia but also for telling what kind of anemia it is.
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