Anemia is one of the most fatal diseases there is because it diminishes the quantity of oxygen brought to the body cells. Thus, it may lead to serious complications and even death. There are many types of anemia and knowing their differences may help a person determine if he or she has the disease or not.
Anemia is the reduction of the total number of circulating red blood cells in the body. Subsequently, it is also described as the decrease in quality or quantity of hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying pigment of red blood cells.
The symptoms of anemia vary depending on the body's ability to compensate for reduced oxygen in the body. When there is reduced oxygen level in the circulating blood it may lead to hypoxia or cell death. A triad happens where there is increased pulse rate, increased respirations and decreased temperature in the body's effort to compensate for reduced blood volume. However, when all else fails, it may lead to cardiac arrest and even heart failure.
It is very important to know the various types of anemia and understand why they differ. First, Megaloblastic anemia is characterized by unusually large stem cells in the marrow. The red blood cells are unusually big and may result in immature production of hemoglobin. One type of this group is pernicious anemia. The name itself was coined to describe how fatal and destructive this type of anemia is. It develops slowly and its early symptoms are vague resulting to late diagnosis that is rarely curable. Many symptoms include fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, abdominal pain,, weight loss and a sore tongue.
Another example of an anemia under megaloblastic anemia is folate deficiency anemia which is described as the condition when folic acid is scarce in the body. This compound is very important in the production of red blood cells. When folate is less than the nutritional requirement, it may lead to this condition.
Microcytic-hypochromic anemia is characterized by abnormally small red blood cells that contain less amount of hemoglobin. One of its types is iron deficiency anemia. This is the most common type of anemia worldwide. Symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, weakness and palor on the conjunctiva and nail beds.
Common treatments include eating healthy and balanced diets with green leafy vegetables. In some and worse cases, blood transfusion is advised.
