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Anemia (also spelled anaemia in British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen.This can be due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin available for oxygen transport, or abnormalities in hemoglobin that impair its function.
Iron-deficiency anemia is anemia caused by a lack of iron. [3] Anemia is defined as a decrease in the number of red blood cells or the amount of hemoglobin in the blood. [3] When onset is slow, symptoms are often vague such as feeling tired, weak, short of breath, or having decreased ability to exercise. [1]
Pernicious anemia is the most common cause of clinically evident vitamin B 12 deficiency worldwide. [14] Pernicious anemia due to autoimmune problems occurs in about one per 1000 people in the US. Among those over the age of 60, about 2% have the condition. [8] It more commonly affects people of northern European descent. [2]
Iron deficiency, or sideropenia, is the state in which a body lacks enough iron to supply its needs. Iron is present in all cells in the human body and has several vital functions, such as carrying oxygen to the tissues from the lungs as a key component of the hemoglobin protein, acting as a transport medium for electrons within the cells in the form of cytochromes, and facilitating oxygen ...
β thalassemia major (Mediterranean anemia or Cooley anemia) is caused by a β o /β o genotype. No functional β chains are produced, and thus no hemoglobin A can be assembled. This is the most severe form of β-thalassemia. β thalassemia intermedia is caused by a β + /β o or β + /β + genotype. In this form, some hemoglobin A is produced.
Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia may be suspected based on routine medical laboratory tests such as a CBC (complete blood cell count). Automated analysers (the machines that perform routine full blood counts in most hospitals) are designed to flag blood specimens that contain abnormal amounts of red blood cell fragments or schistocytes .
Aplastic anemia is a rare, noncancerous disorder in which the blood marrow is unable to adequately produce blood cells required for survival. [44] [45] It is estimated that the incidence of aplastic anemia is 0.7–4.1 cases per million people worldwide, with the prevalence between men and women being approximately equal. [46]
Sideroblastic anemia, or sideroachrestic anemia, is a form of anemia in which the bone marrow produces ringed sideroblasts rather than healthy red blood cells (erythrocytes). [1] In sideroblastic anemia, the body has iron available but cannot incorporate it into hemoglobin , which red blood cells need in order to transport oxygen efficiently.