Anemia is a condition that affects more than 1600 million people worldwide, according to the WHO data (World Health Organization). This means that almost a quarter of the world's population suffers from it, being more frequent in children.
It can have very negative consequences on child development, especially if it occurs in pregnant women or in young children. In adults, the negative effects can also be very serious.
That is why it is important to know what it is, what its symptoms, its causes and what its consequences may be, to detect the problem in time and solve it as soon as possible.
What is anemia?
The blood flowing through the veins and arteries contains millions of Red blood cells . These globules have a protein called hemoglobin, which is responsible for transporting oxygen from the lungs to all tissues.
Anemia occurs when the level of hemoglobin present in red blood cells is below the normal level.
There are many possible causes, but the most frequent is the lack of iron (iron deficiency anemia). Iron is a key mineral for the production of hemoglobin
What are its causes?
It is possible to have iron deficiency anemia for several reasons, the most frequent being:
Nutritional deficiency. The person does not ingest enough iron to produce the necessary amount of hemoglobin.
Loss of blood. Abundant menstruations or loss of blood through the intestine are also a frequent cause.
Intestinal malabsorption . In some people, such as celiac patients, iron ingested in food is not absorbed into the bloodstream due to an intestinal problem.
10 Frequent consequences of anemia
As mentioned earlier, anemia can have very serious consequences on health. These are the ten most important:
1-Feeling tired
People who suffer from it often feel more tired than normal, with a lack of energy, especially When they exercise .
If you feel tired all the time and you have to make an effort to perform the daily tasks that you completed before without problems, perhaps you could suffer.
2-Preterm birth and low birth weight
Pregnant women are a particularly important risk group. During pregnancy, the baby's iron stores can be reduced, which increases the chances of this condition during childhood.
On the other hand, anemia in pregnant women has been associated with an increased risk of preterm birth and also increases the risk of the baby being underweight at birth.
3-Delay in growth
The children who suffer from it may suffer a delay in their weight growth, that is, they are children whose height and weight increase may not be normal and be below expectations.
It is for this reason that in many countries infants are given an iron supplement during their first months of life, because breast milk probably does not contain the amounts of iron they need.
4-Low performance in school
On the other hand, in children can affect their school performance. It can cause problems of concentration and attention, difficulty to think and reason and therefore, the child can have serious problems of learning.
5-Low defenses
Several studies have shown that it can lower defenses, increase the risk of infections and decrease resistance to disease.
6- Pallor
Another consequence is the pallor on the skin and mucous membranes. Often, this is the most notorious symptom. If the inside of the eyelids of a person looks very pale pink and the skin seems with lack of color, could have this suffering.
7-Headache
When the hemoglobin level is below normal, less oxygen reaches all the organs of the body. The shortage of oxygen in the brain can cause headache .
8-Dizziness
Dizziness, along with the feeling of fatigue, may also be a consequence of lack of oxygen in the tissues, caused by anemia.
9-Tachycardia and arrhythmias
In an effort to get the low oxygen available to all systems, the heart of an anemic person beats faster than normal and in some cases arrhythmias may appear.
10-Brittle Nails
This is another of the possible consequences. Weak nails, which are easily chipped, may be betraying their presence, though there are also other causes for brittle nails, such as hypothyroidism for example.
How is it diagnosed?
Anemia can be easily diagnosed through a simple blood test called a blood count. The blood count counts the red blood cells and measures the level of hemoglobin in the blood.
If it is below normal, then there is anemia.
Treatments
The treatment to be carried out depends on what the cause is. It must be kept in mind that anemia is not a disease in itself, but a symptom of an underlying problem.
In the case of ferropenic anemia due to nutritional deficiency, the physician may recommend iron supplements to be taken orally or in the form of intravenous medications.
In general, it is also recommended to have adequate food that includes foods rich in iron, such as meats, lentils, liver, spinach and tomato, among others. It is also important to lead a lifestyle that Keep high defenses .
If it is caused by heavy bleeding, in addition to iron supplements and proper diet, the doctor should look for the cause of bleeding and the solution to them.
The same happens in the case of people who suffer from problems of intestinal absorption. The cause of the problem and the solution must be sought so that the anemia does not recur.