There are several different types of anemia, with a wide range in causes. It is important to understand the type of anemia you may be facing in order to understand and/or get adequate treatment for it.
Anemia caused by loss of blood
If you get severely hurt and loose a lot of blood you generally receive donated blood to make up for it. There are however conditions that result in chronic bleeding which can go undetected for a long period of time, and as such cause blood loss related anemia. These conditions include ulcers, hemorrhoids, gastritis and cancer. Women can loose a significant amount of blood during menstruation, and teenage girls and young women should therefore take an iron supplement. Multiple pregnancies can also result in anemia because of the increased blood demands and loss with each child. Anemia that is related to blood loss can generally be treated easily. When there is an issue with internal chronic bleeding the cause of this problem should be addressed while treating the anemia.
Sickle Cell Anemia
Sickle cell anemia is a painful condition affecting African-Americans. It is a hereditary condition and caused by a genetic defect that results in crescent shaped red blood cells. These red blood cells break down rapidly and oxygen cannot get into the organs because of it. This causes a person with sickle cell to be anemic. Pain experienced by people with sickle cell anemia is caused by the red blood cells getting literally “stuck” in small blood vessels because of their odd shape.
Decreased red blood cell production
People with iron deficiency anemia do not consume enough minerals. Iron is necessary for hemoglobin production, so when there is a mineral deficiency not enough hemoglobin is produced. As a consequence, not enough red blood cells can be produced because hemoglobin is the oxygen binding portion of red blood cells.
This type of anemia is usually caused by poor dietary habits. It also occurs more often in strict vegetarians, because red meat is an important iron source. Other innocent causes for low iron levels are frequent blood donation and endurance training.
In some cases a person has iron deficiency anemia despite consuming enough iron in their diets. This happens when the body is not capable of properly absorbing the iron, which is the case in Crohn’s disease and when parts of the intestine and stomach are surgically removed.