If you have had lab work done, you have probably had a complete blood count (CBC). If your doctor says that your hemoglobin or hematocrit (the percentage of red blood cells in your blood) are low, you may have anemia. (While hemoglobin is the number most commonly used to determine whether you have anemia, hematocrit often is also valuable in assessing whether or not you are anemic.)
Although the most common symptom of anemia is fatigue, you may also experience a number of other symptoms when you are anemic. However, you should note that several diseases and conditions might cause anemia.
Causes of anemia include excessive blood loss, usually during menstruation, as well as problems producing enough red blood cells and increased damage to the red blood cells.
See: Top 10 Causes Of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
While there are many types of anemia, the most common type is iron deficiency anemia. Common causes for iron deficiency anemia include blood loss, not consuming enough iron in your diet, and not absorbing enough iron from the foods you eat.
See: Treatments For Iron Deficiency Anemia
Other types of anemia include:
- Pernicious anemia, which occurs when your body fails to produce enough vitamin B12 from the digestive system
- Sickle cell anemia, which affects primarily people of African origin
- Folic acid anemia, which occurs when you do not have enough red blood cells in your body
Treatment varies according to the type of anemia, as well as the severity of the condition.
Sources:
What Is Anemia? NHLBI. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/anemia/anemia_whatis.html. Accessed 05/20/2011.
What is Iron-Deficiency Anemia? NHLBI. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/ida/ida_whatis.html. Accessed 05/06/2011.
