Anemia is a problem of not having enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the body's tissues. Hemoglobin is a protein found in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to all other organs in the body. Having anemia can cause tiredness, weakness and shortness of breath.

There are many forms of anemia. Each has its own cause. Anemia can be short term or long term. It can range from mild to severe. Anemia can be a warning sign of serious illness.

Symptoms

Anemia symptoms depend on the cause and how bad the anemia is. In some cases the disease is mild and causes no symptoms at the initial stage. The symptoms usually appear and become worse as the disease advances.

If anemia is caused by some other disease then the symptoms can be masked by the symptoms of that disease.

Possible symptoms of anemia include:

Tiredness

Weakness

Shortness of breath.

Pale or yellowish skin, which might be more obvious on white skin than on Black or brown skin

Irregular heartbeat

Dizziness or lightheadedness

Chest pain

Cold hands and feet

Headaches

Anemia is diagnosed by our Gastroeneterologist and Physician Dr Mayank Chugh at Asiaz Hospital, Gurgaon by doing a thorough physical examination, taking personal and family history and ordering diagnostic tests. Tests might include:

Complete blood count (CBC) - A CBC is used to count the number of blood cells in a sample of blood. For anemia, the test measures the amount of the red blood cells in the blood, called hematocrit, and the level of hemoglobin in the blood.

Typical adult hemoglobin values are generally 14 to 18 grams per deciliter for men and 12 to 16 grams per deciliter for women. Typical adult hematocrit values vary among medical practices. But they're generally between 40% and 52% for men and 35% and 47% for women.

A test to show the size and shape of the red blood cells. This looks at the size, shape and color of the red blood cells.

Anemia treatment depends on the cause.

Iron deficiency anemia - Treatment for this form of anemia usually involves taking iron supplements and changing the diet.

If the cause of iron deficiency is loss of blood, finding the source of the bleeding and stopping it is needed. This might involve surgery. At times it can be due to intestinal bleeding which needs to be treated by a gastroenterologist by doeing and endoscopic banding. Dr Mayank Chugh who is a vastly experienced gastroenterologist at Asiaz Hospital, Gurgaon is expert in such kind of internal or intestinal bleeding cases.

Vitamin deficiency anemias - Treatment for folic acid and vitamin B-12 deficiency involves dietary supplements and increasing these nutrients in the diet.

People who have trouble absorbing vitamin B-12 from food might need vitamin B-12 injections. At the beginning these injections are given every alternate day and later on once a month for the rest of the life.

Anemia of chronic disease - Treatment for this type of anemia focuses on the disease that's causing it. The patient may require blood transfusion or injection of a hormone called erythropoietin.

Anemias associated with bone marrow disease - Treatment of these various diseases can include medicines, chemotherapy or getting bone marrow from a donor called bone marrow transplant.

Aplastic anemia - Treatment for this anemia can include blood transfusions to boost levels of red blood cells. A bone marrow transplant might be needed if bone marrow can't make healthy blood cells.

Hemolytic anemias - Managing hemolytic anemias includes stopping medicines that might be causing it and treating infections. If the immune system is attacking red blood cells, treatment might involve taking medicines that lower immune system activity.

Sickle cell anemia - Treatment might include oxygen, pain relievers, and hydration with fluids given through a vein.

Thalassemia - Most forms of thalassemia are mild and need no treatment. More-severe forms of thalassemia generally require blood transfusions, folic acid supplements, medicines, a blood and bone marrow stem cell transplant, or removing the spleen.