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What is anemia essay
Approach anemia
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Introduction
Anemia is a condition of not having enough healthy erythrocytes (red blood cells) to deliver oxygen throughout the body tissues. As this disorder often goes undiagnosed, the exact number of people who have anemia is difficult to determine. However, according to Health & Wellness the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) estimates that about 3 million Americans have anemia; and some other resources estimate 4% of men and 8% of women have mild anemia. The prevalence of anemia is greater in women than men of age seventy-five or less than seventy-five.
Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that features a heme half containing iron. Every heme combines with four oxygen molecules within the lungs for transport and unleash of oxygen to the remainder of the body cells. The decrease within the variety of red blood cells (RBC) within the blood means that a decrease in hemoglobin and thereby a decrease in iron levels. The deficiency of iron impairs the oxygen transportation to the body cells, leading to an unhealthy body.
Anemia develops when there are not enough red blood cells. This could happen if: the body is not making enough red blood cells. Also, bleeding causes loss of blood cells and destruction of red blood cells. Red blood cells are produced regularly from Iron, vitamin B-12, folate, and some other nutrients from food.
There are more than 400 types of anemia identified and most of them are rarely seen. The common types of anemia include iron deficiency anemia, caused by shortage of iron in the body and; vitamin deficiency anemia, caused by inadequate folate and vitamin B-12 in the body. Anemia of chronic disease, caused by HIV/AIDS, cancer, or arthritis can interfere the red blood cell production....
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...re, this disease features a poor prognosis. Lastly, hemolytic anemia is cured by removing the cause form it.
Works Cited
Wilson, Jennifer F., PhD Rebecca J. Frey, and PhD Jacqueline L. Longe. "Anemias." Collin College Library. Fitness & Wellness Resource Center. Web. 24 June 2011. .
"Anemia Symptoms, Types, Causes, and Treatments by EMedicineHealth.com." Anemia. Ed. Melissa Conard Stoppler. Emedicinehealth. Web. 24 June 2011. .
Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Anemia - MayoClinic.com." Mayo Clinic. Web. 24 June 2011. .
"Anemia, Severe Anemia, Lack of Hemoglobin." National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Web. 24 June 2011. .
Cannell JJ, Hollis BW, Sorenson MB, Taft TN, Anderson JJB. Athletic Performance and Vitamin D. Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise. 2009;41(5):1102-1110.
• Hemolytic disease of the newborn. Hemolytic disease happens when a mother 's disease fighting system (immune system) attacks her baby 's red blood cells. Proteins (antibodies) in the mother’s blood destroy the baby 's red blood cells. Two conditions can cause hemolytic disease:
The diminished rate of synthesis amongst the globin chains was first described from Cooley and Lee. However, the term “Thalassemia: was coined by Whipple and Bradford in 1936 (Bain, 2006). The term “Thalassemia” is derived from the Greek words “Thalassa” (sea) and “Heama” (blood) and refers to disorders associated with defective synthesis of the alpha or beta globin subunits of the hemoglobin molecule. Hemoglobin A (a2B2) is inherited. ...
Anaemia, which is a low level of oxygen in the blood due to a lack of red blood cells or lack of haemoglobin heart failure, which means your heart is having problem pumping enough blood around your body, usually because the heart muscle has become too weak or stiff to work properly a problem with your heart rate or rhythm, such as atrial fibrillation.
"What Is a Blood Transfusion?" - NHLBI, NIH. Department of Health and Human Services, 30 Jan. 2012. Web. 02 May 2014.
There are many causes of anemia in the body. Some factors include genetics and deficiencies in the diet. Ms. A claims that for the past 10 – 12 years menorrhagia and dysmenorrheal have been a problem for her. Menorrhagia is abnormal and heavy menstrual bleeding during menstruation (Mayoclinic, 2013). Menorrhagia can deplete iron levels in the blood and increase the risk of an individual to have iron deficiency anemia. This is the cause of Ms. A’s anemia. Moreover, Ms. A says that she constantly takes aspirin especially in the summer to prevent stiffness in the joints. Aspirin affects and hinders the production of red blood cells (Mayoclinic, 2013). From the description of anemia given above, the lack of red blood cells, leads to low levels of iron and therefore low levels of hemoglobin which in turn affects the transportation of oxygen and thereby causing shortness of breath. Ms. A’s initial complains of shortness of breath and fatigue is the reason why she went to see the physician.
"Eating Disorders - Complications of Anorexia." Eating Disorders - Complications of Anorexia. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
Anemia is a disease that is commonly seen in veterinary medicine. This disease can be described as having low amounts of red blood cells and a reduced amount of hemoglobin in the circulating blood, which reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. It develops from loss, destruction or lack of production of red blood cells. Anemia is usually a secondary disease caused by another disease or medical condition. There are three different types of anemia; regenerative, non-regenerative and relative.
The most common forms of the differing Thalassemias are Alpha-Thalassemia and Beta-Thalassemia. Thalassemia is also commonly known by Cooley's anemia and Mediterranean anemia. Alpha Thalassemia is when genes related to the alpha globin protein are altered or missing, which is known as gene mutation. Alpha Thalassemia is primarily dominant in people from Africa, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and China. Alpha Thalassemia has 5 subtypes while Beta Thalassemia has 3 main subtypes. Beta Thalassemia exists when defected genes alter production of the beta globin protein. Beta Thalassemia is prominent in people from the Mediterranean region, Italy, Middle East, Greece, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Southern China. However, Alpha and Beta Thalassemia both have a major and minor form of...
Red blood cells are carriers of oxygen. A percentage of these cells contain hemoglobin, which has the capacity to combine with iron. It's the iron-hemoglobin molecular structure that helps carry oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to your tissues and in return, delivers carbon dioxide back to the lungs to be expelled. A CBC with Differential that shows low red blood cell levels can indicate anemia. RBCs comprise about 40% of total blood volume; the RBC count is the number of red blood cells per cubic millimeter of blood (Rauen, 2012). Normal red blood cells values vary a...
Iron is a mineral that is found the in hemoglobin of the Red Blood Cells. It facilitates in the transport of oxygen all over the body. Without this mineral, oxygen cannot be carried to its full capacity. 1 out of 10 women and small children have iron deficiencies. Lacking iron causes lethargy and a weakened immune system. Children who do not have an adequate intake of iron put themselves at risk for intellectual developmental problems. However, an iron deficient person is not necessarily anemic. 7.8 million women are iron deficient, while only 3.3 million women are anemic (http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9704/iron_def.htm). When the deficiency becomes so severe that the circulating Red Blood Count and the minerals Ht, Hg, and Hem drop below normal, anemia occurs (See Figure 1). The hormone androgen causes men and women to have different normal values of the hemogram (http://www.medstudents.com.br/hemat/hemat4.htm). Low ferritin (iron storage molecule) and high TIBC (tota...
Polycythaemia is a blood disorder defined as an increase in blood erythrocyte concentration. Absolute polycythaemia is where this increase is caused by greater erythrocyte production, determined by measuring the haematocrit level, with one study showing that 83% of sufferers have a haematocrit level of >55%. This should not be confused with relative polycythaemia, caused by a decrease in blood plasma volume often secondary to hypertension. Interestingly, those affected tend to also have increased blood platelet and white cell concentrations, which correlates well with the notion that the disease is caused by a genetic defect in the haematopoietic stem cell population within the bone marrow. Studies have shown the median age of onset to be 60, although a Mayo Clinic study in Olmstead County, Minnesota showed it to be slightly higher, at between 70 and 79 years, with men affected more than women – though the reason behind the gender inequality is currently unknown. In addition, its prevalence within the US is thought to be in the region of 50/100,000. Furthermore, it has long been known that Finnish skier and seven time Olympic champion Eero Mantyranta suffered from the disease, and it is often stated that his success, at least in part, can be put down to his polycythaemia – indeed experiments have shown that it can increase the blood oxygen carrying capacity by up to 50%, an undeniable asset to any endurance athlete. However, the disease can also prove fatal in many cases because the thickened blood increases the probability of clot formation, giving deep vein thrombosis and potentially pulmonary embolus. It is this double edged nature of polycythaemia that first took ...
Red Blood Cells contain hemoglobin molecules to help bind to oxygen to bring to other tissues. Without this function, cells would not be able to go through the process of cellular respiration and can only survive a short time. Red Blood Cells are also able to carry bicarbonate as a waste product and carry a variety of hormones to communicate between organs.
There are two main types of thalassemia. The first one is Alpha thalassemia. This occurs when a gene or genes related to the alpha globin protein are missing or mutated. It happens mostly in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, China, and in those of African descent. If one gene is missing or damaged: Your red blood cells might be smaller than normal. You will have no symptoms and you will not need treatment. If two genes are missing or damaged, you will have very mild anemia that will typically not need treatment. This is called alpha thalassemia minor or alpha thalassemia trait. If three genes are missing: You will have mild to moderately severe anemia. This is called hemoglobin H disease. If it is severe, you may need blood transfusions.
Postlethwait, John H., and Janet L. Hopson. "Body Function and Nutrition." Modern Biology. Orlando: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2006. Print.