a friend has just been told that there blood count has dropped so low that they may need a blood transfusion. The only symptons that they have been feeling are headaches and feeling tired! Does anyone know what could cause this they are going for tests this week but are worried sick!
2007-05-01 07:19:53 · 4 answers · asked by jojo 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Diabetes
there are many reasons why so please wait for the results of the tests.
2007-05-04 08:23:23 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm assuming that you maybe mean an iron/red blood cell count and not a blood sugar? Don't panic - I know it's worrying when people are sick but lots of things can cause this and most aren't serious. I had v bad anaemia last year cos of tablets I was taking for headaches - it was horrible at the time but got better v quickly. She should feel much better a couple of days after the transfusion. The dr will check for possible causes and treat that if necessary - most causes are easily treated so don't worry at this stage. Hope your friend does get better soon xxx
2007-05-01 07:32:47 · answer #2 · answered by Cathy :) 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its more like your friend is suffering from low hemoglobin levels. Hemoglobinis the protein that carries oxygen in the blood. It is contained in red blood cells. Both high and low hemoglobin counts indicate defects in the balance of red blood cells in the blood, and may indicate disease.
Anemia happens when your blood doesn't have enough hemoglobin. Hemoglobin helps red blood cells carry oxygen from your lungs to all parts of your body thus the reason why your friend is not feeling that brilliant.
Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia. This happens when you don't have enough iron in your body. You need iron to make hemoglobin. This can happen when you lose blood from problems like heavy periods, ulcers, colon polyps, or colon cancer. A diet that doesn't have enough iron in it can also cause iron deficiency anemia. Pregnancy can also cause iron deficiency anemia if there's not enough iron for the mother and fetus.
Certain diseases can hurt the body's ability to make red blood cells. For example, people with kidney disease, especially those getting dialysis (takes out wastes from your blood if your kidneys can't), are at higher risk for developing anemia. Their kidneys can't create enough hormones to make blood cells, and iron is lost in dialysis.
If your friend have a blood disease in his/her family, there is a higher risk that he/she will also have this disease. One type of inherited blood disease is sickle cell anemia. Instead of having normal red blood cells that move through blood vessels easily, sickle cells are hard and have a curved edge. These cells cannot squeeze through small blood vessels and block the organs from getting blood. The body destroys sickle red cells quickly, but it can't make new red blood cells fast enough. This causes anemia. Another inherited blood disease is thalassemia. It happens when the body is missing certain genes or when variant (different from normal) genes are passed down from parents that affect how the body makes hemoglobin.
Another cause is Aplastic anemia. This rare problem happens when your body doesn't make enough red blood cells. Since this affects the white blood cells too, there is a higher risk for infections and bleeding that can't be stopped.
2007-05-01 10:23:23 · answer #3 · answered by daniella 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The headache and tiredness are symptoms of low HG. Your friend is not seeing a hematologist, they really need to see one. I am assuming that s/he has been tested for bleeding.
It is possible the problem is heredirary, but your friend needs to get specialist help and pronto
2007-05-01 08:05:38 · answer #4 · answered by WolverLini 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋