can someone please explain anemia to me???

Question

causes, onset, how long it lasts, symptoms etc etc thanks..

stories of peole who have actually experienced anemia would be good!!!

Answer 1

Anemia (Greek for “bloodlessness”), a blood condition involving an abnormal reduction in the number of red blood cells (erythrocytes) or in their hemoglobin content. These cells are the means by which oxygen is carried to the various parts of the body. People who are anemic develop symptoms caused by the inadequate delivery of oxygen to their body tissues. There are three primary causes of anemia: (1) reduced production of red blood cells, which may result from deficiency in nutrients or hormones, or from disease or other conditions; (2) excessive destruction of red blood cells, often a hereditary problem; and (3) excessive blood loss.

The most common type of anemia is iron-deficiency anemia, which occurs when the body's need for iron increases, as during certain periods of childhood and in pregnancy, or when there is insufficient iron in the diet. Pernicious anemia, a chronic ailment that mostly affects people over 40, is a result of vitamin B 12 deficiency, often caused by decreased B12 absorption rather than a deficient diet. The most common symptoms of anemia are pallor, shortness of breath, low vitality, dizziness, and digestive disorders. Sickle-cell anemia is the result of a hereditary defect in the synthesis of hemoglobin.

Past treatment of the disease has included removal of the spleen, repeated transfusions of blood, and a diet featuring beef or calf's liver. Transfusions are still used in cases of acute blood loss; iron supplements for iron-deficiency anemia and injections of vitamin B12 for pernicious anemia are often effective. Synthetically manufactured erythropoietin (normally produced by the human kidney) is now used to stimulate the production and growth of red blood cells. Other therapy focuses on curing the underlying causes of the nutritional or hormonal deficiancy.

Answer 2

There are many forms of anemia, like the ones explained above. The most common is iron defecient anemia. Basically, not getting enough iron in the diet. Iron is found in red meats, and other foods, but meat is a good source.

I can tell you from experience that before I was diagnosed the two symptoms I had were weak spells and I got out of breath very easily. At the time I was teaching preschool and would get winded just from reading a book to the children.

A simple hemoglobin test will show if you're iron is low or not. That's done with just a drop of blood usually taken from the finger. If it sinks in the solution, you've got enough iron. If it floats, then you don't.

Answer 3

Blood is actually a liquid made up of several different cell types. One of the most important and most numerous cell types is the red blood cell. The purpose of the red blood cell is to deliver oxygen to the body. Anemia describes the condition in which the number of red blood cells in your blood is low. For this reason, doctors sometimes describe someone with anemia as having a low blood count. A person who has anemia is called anemic.



Preventing anemia and having the correct number of red blood cells requires cooperation among the kidneys, the bone marrow, and nutrients within the body. If your kidneys or bones are not working, or your body is poorly nourished, then you might not be able to maintain a normal red blood cell count.


Anemia is actually a sign of a disease process rather than a disease itself. It is usually classified as either chronic or acute. Chronic anemia happens over a long period of time. Acute anemia happens quickly. Determining whether anemia has been going on a long time or whether it is something new helps doctors to find its cause. This also helps predict how severe the symptoms may be.


Red blood cells live about 100 days, so the body is constantly trying to replace them. In adults, red blood cell production occurs in the bone marrow. Doctors try to determine if a low red blood cell count is caused by increased blood loss or from decreased production in the bone marrow. Knowing whether the number of white blood cells has changed also helps determine the cause.


In the United States, 2-10% of people have anemia. Other countries have even higher rates of anemia. Women are twice as likely to have anemia than men. Anemia happens in both young people and in old people, but older people are more likely to have other medical problems associated with anemia.


MUCH MORE INFO AVAILABLE AT THE SITE BELOW....INCLUDING SYMPTOMS, CAUSES AND TREATMENT.

Answer 4

I am not a doctor, but anemia is caused by a shortage of iron in the body. Iron is used in the blood as part of the mechanism to transport oxygen, which you need to live.

Women are more prone to anemia because of menstrual bleeding.

Anemia can last a long time, you probably should consult a doctor.

Meat is an excellent source of iron.

Answer 5

The main conponent of red blood cells is the protein hemoglobin, which combines with oxygen in the lungs and carries it throughout your body, and releases it to those tissues that require it. Anemia is defined as a decrease in either hemoglobin or red blood cells to below the normal level.
Iron is an essential ingredient in hemoglobin. If you do not have enough iron in your body, you cannot make enough hemoglobin. This form of anemia is called iron-deficiency anemia. A severe shortage of vitamin B12 in your body also affects the production of red blood cells. This is called B12 deficiency anemia. Lack of folic acid in your body has the same effect, and this is called folic acid deficiency. If the red blood cells are destroyed more quickly than they normally would be, the number of red blood cells in your body may fall well below normal, and cause hemolytic anemia.
The characteristic symptoms of anemia include paleness, fatigue, weakness, fainting, breathlessness and palpitations, or an increase awareness of your heartbeat, can occur when your heart tries to compensate for the anemia by pumping blood faster than normal.

Answer 6

What is Anemia?
Anemia occurs when the body is unable to produce enough red blood cells, which results in a decrease in the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to all parts of the body. When hemoglobin levels are decreased, less oxygen can be carried throughout the body. The decreased delivery of oxygen causes symptoms like fatigue, tiredness, dizziness, shortness of breath, and may cause the skin to appear pale. Fortunately, there are treatments available to improve anemia and its symptoms.

check out also this website for more info: http://www.medicinenet.com/anemia/article.htm

Answer 7

Anaemia is when there are not enough red blood cells in your blood. There are various types of anaemia. Aplastic anaemia, leukaemia, pernicious anaemia and iron deficiency anaemia which is the most common especially in young women. It has many and varied causes but I think you would be most interested in Iron deficiency anaemia.
How long does it last? If you can increase your iron intake with lean red meat at least 3 times a week, increase the amount of green leafy vegetables you eat andpossibly take an iron tablet once a day (ask your doctor or pharmacist) it should not last very long.
Causes? Lack of iron in the diet, combined with menstruation, possible large bleeding from an accident. certain diseases which cause bleeding into the bowel and some anti-inflamatory drugs.
Symptoms? Mostly tiredness, apathy, irregular heartbeats.
I could go on but if you require more information please see your doctor. It is not something which should be ignored.

Answer 8

Anemia (AmE) or anaemia (BrE), from the Greek (Ἀναιμία) meaning "without blood", is due to a deficiency of red blood cells and/or hemoglobin. This results in a reduced ability of blood to transfer oxygen to the tissues, causing hypoxia; since all human cells depend on oxygen for survival, varying degrees of anemia can have a wide range of clinical consequences. Hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying protein in the red blood cells) has to be present to ensure adequate oxygenation of all body tissues and organs.

The three main classes of anemia include excessive blood loss (acutely such as a hemorrhage or chronically through low-volume loss), excessive blood cell destruction (hemolysis) or deficient red blood cell production. In menstruating women, dietary iron deficiency is a common cause of deficient red blood cell production.

Anemia is the most common disorder of the blood. There are several kinds of anemia, produced by a variety of underlying causes. Anemia can be classified in a variety of ways, based on the morphology of RBCs, underlying etiologic mechanisms, and discernible clinical spectra, to mention a few.

Different clinicians approach anemia in different ways; two major approaches of classifying anemias include the "kinetic" approach which involves evaluating production, destruction and loss, and the "morphologic" approach which groups anemia by red blood cell size. The morphologic approach uses a quickly available and cheap lab test as its starting point (the MCV). On the other hand, focusing early on the question of production (e.g., via the reticulocyte count) may allow the clinician more rapidly to expose cases where multiple causes of anemia coexist. Regardless of one's philosophy about the classification of anemia, however, any methodical clinical evaluation should yield equally good results.

for more information, try this link :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemia

Answer 9

Anemia describes a condition in which the red blood cells (purpose is to deliver oxygen to the body) are low in count. It can be caused by
external bleedingi
iiron deficiency
any long term medical condition like kidney disesase, pregnancy, poor nutrition,alcoholism.
\Symptoms may include
black tarry stools
maroon or visibly bloody stools
rapid heart rate
rapid breathing
pale or cold skin
jaundice skin
low blood pressure
heart murmor
enlargement of the spleen
also may have these symptoms
tired
difficulty breathing
chest pain
abdominal pain
weight loss
weakness
dizziness
passing out
it lasts until medical attention is sought or if it is nutritional in nature until youu eating habits change. Tratments may include supplemental iron, blood transfusions, oxygen therapy, procrit injections, antibiotics to treat infection that is causing the deficiency.

Answer 10

Not sure about anemia but you should get yourself checked out anyway. That doesn't sound right. You can be a perfectly healthy veggie or vegan. Just be very conscious about what you are eating. My friend was veggie for quite a few years and recently was told by her doctor she was anemic. Bad choices. You should take a veggie/vegan cooking class somewhere. It's helpful to know how to make good decisions. Cheers and good luck to you!