Anemia: Diagnosis, Causes, and Treatment

In today’s world, anemia is a very common disorder found in human beings of all age groups. This is a condition in which the body doesn’t produce enough red blood cells, which are responsible for carrying oxygen all over the body. This is a condition in which the body does not have enough hemoglobin, which is a protein-rich component that carries oxygen inside the red blood cells and gives red colour to blood. One suffers from anemia due to iron deficiency and it can occur in several forms. It is very important to diagnose it at the right time and take proper treatment.

For the diagnosis of anemia, doctors perform a blood test known as hemoglobin test. There are some other additional tests that are also used to determine the type of anemia and its causes. Most of the times, doctors also recommend a chest X-ray, general ultrasound, abdomen CT, and MRI of pelvis or body to understand and find the other underlying conditions. Treatment of anemia mainly depends upon its type. In cases where anemia is caused due to excessive loss of blood from the body, one may require surgery for preventing bleeding.

Some of the common symptoms that anemia patients have are lack of energy, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath and headache, difficulty in concentrating, dizziness, pale skin, leg cramps, and insomnia. Thus, whenever someone experiences such symptoms, they must see a doctor.

A proper iron-rich diet can help you improve your hemoglobin count. However, taking excessive iron can be dangerous as accumulated iron in the body can damage the liver and cause various other complications. Most of the times, doctors prescribe iron or vitamin supplements. Other than this, doctors also advise their patients to take iron-rich and vitamin C rich foods for enhancing iron absorption capacity of the body.

Anemia can also be also caused due to the deficiency of various other nutrients such as copper, protein, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and vitamin E. Therefore, most of the doctors advise that people make sure they are having balanced and nutritious meals. Other than this, people should go for a blood or hemoglobin test at regular intervals of time to keep their blood health in check.