If you are experiencing some of the following symptoms you might have anemia and should have it checked by a doctor because it could be a sign of something more serious. The symptoms are fatigue, pale skin, weakness, abnormal heartbeat, chest pain or dizziness, numbness, headache and cognitive problems.
Many people can have mild cases of anemia that have mild symptoms but if it’s not treated it can get worse. Anemia in the body occurs when the levels of red blood cells are lower than normal. This occurs if your body doesn’t produce enough blood cells or doesn’t produce them faster than they are lost or destroyed by the body. Red blood cells are the cells that carry the oxygen, so if there aren’t enough of them then the body doesn’t get enough oxygen and it becomes fatigued.
Red blood cells are formed in the bone marrow and use iron and vitamins to do so. There are several types of anemia. The first one is iron deficiency anemia, which is caused by a shortage of iron. The lack of iron prevents the body from producing enough hemoglobin, which prevents the bone marrow from producing red blood cells. This is quite common in women because while iron deficiencies can be caused by a diet too low in iron, it can also be caused by a loss of blood. This is because the body recycles iron from blood cells that die and when the body loses blood it doesn’t have that blood to recycle. Women with heavy periods or anyone who has slow chronic blood loss (such as from colon polyps) are at risk for this type of anemia.
People might even be at risk for vitamin deficiency anemia. This occurs when the body doesn’t get enough folate and vitamin B-12 – usually caused by intestinal disorders that prevent the proper absorption of nutrients. What happens here is that the bone marrow produces red blood cells, but they are large and they are abnormal.
Chronic diseases can also cause anemia. Inflammatory diseases and kidney failure can affect how the bone marrow works. Aplastic anemia occurs when the bone marrow fails to produce all types of blood cells and can be very serious. Bone marrow disease and bone marrow disorders also cause anemia because the bone marrow does not produce bone marrow as well.
People who have poor diets, intestinal disorders, heavy menstrual cycles, pregnancy, chronic conditions and a family history of anemia are more prone to get anemia than others. Some of the mild cases of anemia are best treated with a change in diet – generally the addition of iron-rich foods, but this doesn’t always help. There are some other treatments available to help some of the more severe cases. One of these treatments is using anabolic steroids to stimulate the bone marrow, bone marrow growth and the production of red blood cells. Sources: |
