Though you might seem like you need an iron-filled hemoglobin to live, anemia is actually a state of the body caused when your red blood cells are too small to transport oxygen properly within your body. Most people with anemia develop it during infancy or childhood because their lungs aren't fully developed. With proper treatment, anemia can usually be treated and cleared up by adolescence. But there are times when anemia can develop when otherwise healthy people try to take iron supplements.
Types
- Aplastic anemia
- Iron deficiency anemia
- Sickle cell anemia
- Thalassemia
- Vitamin deficiency anemia
Symptoms
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Pale or yellowish skin
- Irregular heartbeats
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Chest pain
- Cold hands and feet
- Headaches
When to see a doctor is a question that most people struggle with at one time or another. Anemia is a condition that affects your red blood cells, limiting their ability to carry oxygen throughout your body. As you may know from watching television or having conversations with friends and family, having less red blood means less oxygen available to carry out many functions in your body.
Causes of anemia can be many and varied. Sometimes a blood disorder like sickle cell anemia causes reduced immunity. Other times anemia can be the result of an injury or accident. If you are suffering from anemia it is important to know the various causes so that you can make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible. To be clear you do not need to have hemoglobin in your red cells to make oxygen.
