It is quite unfortunate for women that anemia is most common in them. Pregnant and non-pregnant women are greatly affected by this condition and the global database of anemia patients shows this. There are countries in the world where more than 50 percent of the pregnant women have this condition. Not even the most developed countries are safe from this and there are great numbers of women who suffer from this condition in these developed countries too. Here is some important information that you should know about Anemia:
What Is Anemia?
Your blood is mainly composed of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. Each component in the blood has its functions and deficiency of any of these 3 components in the blood can cause serious illnesses. Anemia is caused when your blood is short on red blood cells. Rest of the composition of your blood is normal but red blood cells are low. There could be many reasons why you have deficiency of red blood cells in the body. The volume of red blood cells in every 100ml is different for men and women. Women will have anemia if their red blood cells are less than 12g/100ml whereas the limit is 13.5g/100ml for men.
What Causes Anemia?
The causes of anemia can be put into many different categories. Anything that causes the red blood cell count to go low will result in anemia. Losing too much blood as a result of bleeding is one of the most common causes. This brings the issue of menstrual days in women and their regularity. If women are going through their menstruation normally they might not have to face anemia. However, if their blood loss is abnormal and they are losing too much blood as part of menstrual bleeding, it will result in anemia. Blood loss can also be caused by other internal injuries such ulcers.
Sometimes the issue is related to how your body is functioning. If your body has some problem in producing red blood cells you will have anemia. At times your body is producing proper quantity of red blood cells but they are not functioning properly in the body. There are many other forms of anemia where your blood will have shortage of iron, vitamin or other nutrients in it. Hemolytic anemia is mysterious since in this the red blood cells will become destroyed and no particular reasons can be found for this.
Symptoms Of Anemia
The biggest symptom of anemia is fatigue that does not seem to go away. If you have worked at your office for the whole day and then taken your family to dinner, you will be tired naturally. However, if you feel tired at all times and even in the morning, this is the sign of anemia. Women with anemia will also see their skins going pale. The paleness of the skin can be felt not only in the eyes but also palms and feet. Fast heartbeat is also one of the symptoms of anemia.
Some women will have hard time breathing at time. They might not show this symptom at all times but at times they will not be comfortable breathing. If there is no problem with your lungs and you are still having hard time breathing, it could be due to anemia. Chest pain might also accompany difficulty in breathing for patients who have the condition. Anemia has to be treated as soon as possible because left untreated it could result in the loss of life. Pregnancy complications are also a result of anemia in many women.
How To Treat It?
The first and most important thing is to improve your diet regardless of whether you have anemia or not. You have to include vegetables and fruits in your diet that provide adequate amounts of blood to your body. Fresh vegetables, fruits and milk shakes are always the best thing to include in the diet. You could also go for supplements if there is deficiency of a certain nutrient in your body. For example, if you are deficient on iron you could go for pills that provide your blood with iron.
You will also have to make sure that you visit a doctor for further treatment. Once diagnosed your doctor will tell you what methods you will have to follow. If your anemia is normal then dietary changes might be enough. However, medicines will be prescribed if your anemia has reached serious levels. Erythropoietin is a hormone that can be used for treating your anemia as well since it promotes the production of red blood cells in the body. According to Europa Online Pharmacy Doctor, blood transfusion is another way for doctors to treat this condition. There could be other treatments as well but your doctor is the best person to guide you and help you with your condition.