What are some causes of anemia?

Answer 1

There are three general causes of anemia:

Decreased red cell production by the bone marrow

Increased red cell destruction, or hemolysis

Blood loss from heavy menstrual periods or internal bleeding


When you're anemic, your body either produces too few healthy red blood cells, or destroys them faster than they can be replaced or loses too many of them. If your diet lacks certain vitamins and minerals, the production of hemoglobin can slow down.

Types of anemia caused by decreases in red cell production include iron deficiency anemia and vitamin deficient anemia.

If something in the body destroys or attacks red blood cells, the bone marrow tries to produce more blood. If the destruction of red blood cells is rapid, the marrow can't catch up. This problem is often inherited. The resulting anemia is called hemolytic anemia.

A severe bleeding episode can result in temporary anemia until the body has had time to make up the blood that was lost. But even small, persistent losses of blood may cause anemia if you have a poor diet. A healthy person whose diet contains plenty of iron and vitamins can produce large amounts of new blood, reducing the risk of anemia.

Answer 2

Iron Deficiency
Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Blood Loss:
You can lose blood through the stomach if you have an ulcer
Women commonly get anemia from menstruation.

Some drug cause anemia: Chemotherapy drugs are notorious for causing anemia.

There are other sources of anemia (Like Intrinsic Factor Deficiency) but they are rare. If you go see a doctor, he can look at your blood and tell you which one it is and how to treat it. Anemia is usually pretty easy to treat.

Answer 3

Anemia goes undetected in many people, and symptoms can be vague. Most commonly, people with anemia report a feeling of weakness or fatigue. People with more severe anemia sometimes report shortness of breath. Very severe anemia prompts the body to compensate by markedly increasing cardiac output, leading to palpitations and sweatiness; this process can lead to heart failure in elderly people.

Pallor (pale skin and mucosal linings) is only notable in cases of severe anemia, and is therefore not a reliable sign.

Answer 4

"The individual causes of anemia are numerous, but most can be grouped within three major mechanisms that produce anemia: blood loss (excessive bleeding), inadequate production of red blood cells, or excessive destruction of red blood cells."

Answer 5

depends on what kind ....i am iron deficient and b-12 deficient....i have to have iron infusions and blood transfusions....my body does not produce enough red blood cells which means that i dont have enough oxygen being delivered to my organs.... though the cause may not alway be determinable some of them are excessive blood loss (such as a hemorrhage) excessive blood cell destruction (hemolysis) or deficient red blood cell production....i suffer from the last one....mine came about when i was pregnant with my twins

Answer 6

anemia can be caused by MANY things. lack of iron, not eating right, anything all the way to cancer. your gonna need to identify more symptoms that your having. then you could eaither research them online or go to ur doctor.

Answer 7

Anemia (lack of blood cells/low hemoglobin) may develop from:


1) insufficient blood production

2) excessive blood "loss"



Poor production occurs in: iron deficiency, deficiencies of vitamin B12 and folate, various diseases affecting bone marrow and hence blood production eg. cancers (esp leukemia, lymphoma, myeloproliferative diseases), disseminated infections, chronic disease states

Excessive loss can occur in: trauma (bleeding - external site or bleeding internally) and hemolysis (red blood cell bursting)

Hemolysis can be due to Red Blood Cell membrane disorders (spherocytosis, paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria, thalassaemia and sickle cell disease) or to bursting of the red cells from some external mechanism - mechanical heart valve, intravascular hemolysis (eg. with E coli infections), hypersplenism ...


Is that enough?

Answer 8

Well other than illness, or being some hereditary problem, low iron count in your blood will cause it. If you are anemic, see a doctor. But get foods that are high in Iron, like green vegetables, and take vitamins.

Answer 9

Not consuming enough iron. Buy some vitamins that have iron in them and start taking them once a day. If your symptoms do not improve in a week, go to the doctor.

Answer 10

Decreased red cell production by the bone marrow

Increased red cell destruction, or hemolysis

Blood loss from heavy menstrual periods or internal bleeding