Contents:
- Medical Video: Anemia - Causes, Symptoms, Treatments & More…
- Common symptoms of anemia
- Distinguish symptoms of anemia
Medical Video: Anemia - Causes, Symptoms, Treatments & More…
There are various types of anemia with various causes. A number of symptoms almost appear in all types of anemia, whether you have iron deficiency anemia or Fanconi anemia, and each type of anemia has the same final effect: your body does not have enough oxygen from red blood cells to have their needs.
How severe or often your symptoms are related to how severe your anemia is. People who experience mild anemia, from mild iron deficiency, for example, may not have symptoms at all, while people with severe anemia can have far more visible and longer lasting symptoms.
Common symptoms of anemia
Symptoms of anemia include:
- This is the most common symptom of anemia. You may feel very tired or weak and unable to use energy for most daily activities.
- Dizziness is most likely to occur when you stand from a sitting or resting position.
- Hard to breathe
- Headache
- Cold skin, especially hands and feet
- Your gums and the base of your nails may be very pale
- Chest pain. Without enough oxygen-rich red blood cells, your heart must work harder to keep your body supplied with the nutrients it needs. You may feel pain and tightness in the chest when your heart muscle does not get the oxygen needed.
- Also known as dysrhythmia or abnormal heart rhythms, changing heart rate patterns also result from your heart working harder to circulate blood.
If the condition is severe, these symptoms are at different levels in each type of anemia.
Distinguish symptoms of anemia
There are various types of anemia, some have specific symptoms that can distinguish them:
- Aplastic anemia. Nausea and skin rash are known signs of the type of anemia that occurs when the bone marrow stops making enough red blood cells.
- Fanconi anemia. This is a rare hereditary disease that prevents your bone marrow from producing the three types of blood cells needed and results in slow development in a variety of things, ranging from learning abilities to physical growth.
- Anemia associated with folic acid deficiency. If you don't have enough folic acid - one of the B vitamins, also known as folate - in your diet it can cause this type of anemia. The unique symptoms for anemia include irritability, diarrhea, and smooth tongue.
- Hemolytic anemia. Jaundice, foot ulcers, and abdominal pain are symptoms of this type of anemia, where red blood cells are destroyed in the body prematurely. The excess of hemoglobin released by this destructive process causes many symptoms.
- Anemia related to iron deficiency. This type of anemia is caused by a lack of iron in your diet or chronic blood loss. Anemia related to iron deficiency can be identified through symptoms that include unusual desire (such as ice or dirt), brittle nails, swollen or sore tongue, small sores on the sides of your mouth, and infections.
- Pernicious anemia. This type of anemia is caused by a lack of vitamin B12. If you don't have enough vitamin B12, or can't absorb it, it can cause symptoms such as nerve damage, confusion, dementia, memory loss, depression, nausea, heartburn, weight loss, and, red tongue.
- Sickle cell anemia. Sudden pain throughout the body is a characteristic of this type of anemia, which occurs because the body makes red blood cells shaped like sickles (or "C" shape) rather than perfect discs. Cells that are abnormally shaped can collect, blocking blood flow in many organs and causing sickle cell sickness. Swelling of the hands and feet and spleen damage are also symptoms of this anemia.
Symptoms of anemia vary depending on the cause of anemia and the severity of the condition. However, there are several symptoms, especially fatigue, which occur in all types of anemia. If you suspect you have anemia, contact your doctor.
