How to treat anemia

Definition

Anemia is layman' s terms is defined as the decrease in the number of red blood cells in the body which results in fatigue, reduced exercise tolerance, dizziness and in severe cases heart attacks otherwise knows as myocardial infarction. People respond differently to measurable blood indices in the body. A 25 year old male might be asymptomatic as compared to a 69 year old male with the same blood level. If at any time you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above please visit your health care provider as soon as possible. Other serious conditions could also predispose to the development of anemia.

How anemia is diagnosed ?

When you visit your physician, and a suspected diagnosis of anemia is made, several tests need to be done to determine to cause of your anemia. Anemia is caused by hundreds of different factors, but the most common one I'm going to discuss here is Iron Deficiency anemia. Usually a complete blood count is done at first to get a better picture of what your basal blood values are. Then serum ferritin and total iron binding capacity are then checked to further classify the type of anemia

What is serum ferritin and TIBC

Basically what you need to know is
1. Serum ferritin correlates with the amount of iron stores available in the body
2. Total iron binding capacity refers to the amount of iron that is bound to proteins in the body.
In iron deficiency anemia the serum ferritin is low(low body stores of iron) and the TIBC is high. The body' s compensatory mechanism is to increase the number of proteins to bind iron.

Common causes of Iron deficiency anemia

1. Gastrointestinal bleeding - may be from chronic peptic ulcers, colorectal cancers especially in the elderly, poor nutrition, hook worm infestation(common in kids).
2. Excessive menstrual bleeding in women, pregnancy(increases the need for iron).

Treatment

The specific mode of treatment is geared towards the causative factor.

1. If the diet is deficient in iron then iron supplements can be taken. It normally takes weeks to months before the beneficial effects are noted.
2. Women with heavy menstrual bleeding should visit their local gynecologist at once. Bleeding from the reproductive tract in excess of what is normal warrants a thorough investigation. This is especially true in older women as you are predisposed to endometrial cancer.
2. Children with suspected hook worm infestation can be prescribed the appropriate medication by your pediatrician.
3. Elderly men who present with anemia and are greater than 55 years need to be screened for colorectal cancer.
4. Of course there are other causes of anemia such as leukemia, sickle cell disease and thalassemia which also cause similar symptoms. However these are separate topics in their own right so I may cover them at another date.