Anemia

Anemia

Medical Author: Siamak Nabili, MD, MPH
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

• What is anemia?
• What causes anemia?
• Can not enough iron cause anemia?
• What about acute (sudden) blood loss as a cause of anemia?
• What are other causes of anemia?
• Can anemia be hereditary?
• What are the symptoms of anemia?
• How is anemia diagnosed?
• What is a complete blood cell (CBC) count?
• How is blood collected for a complete blood cell (CBC)?
• What is the red blood cell (RBC) count?
• What is hemoglobin?
• What does a low hemoglobin level mean?
• What is the hematocrit?
• How is hematocrit determined?
• How is anemia treated?
• What are the complications of anemia?
• What is the outlook (prognosis) for anemia?
• Patient Discussions: Anemia - Symptoms Experienced

What is anemia?

Anemia is a medical condition in which the red blood cell count or hemoglobin is less than normal. The normal level of hemoglobin is generally different in males and females. For men, anemia is typically defined as hemoglobin level of less than 13.5 gram/100ml and in women as hemoglobin of less than 12.0 gram/100ml. These definitions may vary slightly depending on the source and the laboratory reference used.

What causes anemia?

Any process that can disrupt the normal life span of a red blood cell may cause anemia. Normal life span of a red blood cell is typically around 120 days. Red blood cells are made in the bone marrow.

Anemia is caused essentially through two basic pathways. Anemia is either caused:

1. by a decrease in production of red blood cell or hemoglobin, or
   
   
2. by a loss or destruction of blood.

As more common classifications of anemia (low hemoglobin) is based on the MCV, or the volume of individual red blood cells.

1. If the MCV is low (less than 80), the anemia is categorized as microcytic anemia (low cell volume).
   
   
2. If the MCV is in the normal range (80-100), it is called a normocytic anemia (normal cell volume).
   
   
3. If the MCV is high, then it is called a macrocytic anemia (large cell volume).

Looking at each of the components of a complete blood count (CBC), especially the MCV, a physician can gather clues as what may be the most common reason for anemia.

Anemia - Symptoms Experienced

The MedicineNet physician editors ask:

For anemia, what were the symptoms and signs you experienced?

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