Anemia is a condition in which the count of red blood cells in the blood is very less. Under this condition, the red blood cells fail to carry sufficient oxygen to our body tissues. Many people suffer from different types of anemia across the world.

There are several types of anemia, and its symptoms can range from mild to severe. Anemia can last for a short duration or a long period of time. Mostly, all types of anemia are curable, but anemia can turn fatal in case it is not diagnosed at an early stage.

Symptoms of anemia

Anemia can have a vast influence on your body. The symptoms of anemia differ from one person to another. Some of the common symptoms of anemia are

• exhaustion,
• dull skin,
• acute pain in the chest,
• difficulty in breathing,
• giddiness,
• headache,
• increased heartbeats, and
• cold flashes.

Types of anemia

As mentioned earlier, there are quite a few types of anemia, such as

• Iron deficiency anemia
  As the name suggests, this condition is caused due to lack of iron content in the human body. Iron is required to produce red blood cells or hemoglobin. Deficient production of red blood cells affects bone marrow which ultimately results in anemia. Women are worst-affected by this condition since they suffer from severe blood loss during pregnancy and menstruation. So, iron supplements are prescribed for anemic women.
• Vitamin deficiency anemia
  It is also termed as pernicious anemia and this kind of condition crops up when the body is deficient of important nutrients such as Vitamin B12 and folic acid. These two nutrients are also essential for producing red blood cells. Some people find difficulty in digesting vitamin tablets too, which leads to vitamin deficiency anemia.
• Anemia of chronic disease
  An anemia of chronic disease occurs when severe diseases like cancer, arthritis, and AIDS obstruct the development of red blood cells.
• Aplastic anemia
  It is a rare life-threatening condition that occurs when your body lacks to manufacture sufficient red blood cells. Infections, allergy to certain medications, low immunity, etc are the root cause of this condition.
• Anemia due to bone marrow disease
  Such conditions trigger when the bone marrow fails to produce enough blood cells. Life-threatening diseases like cancer adversely affect blood production in the bone marrow, which in turn leads to anemia.
• Hemolytic anemia
  Under this kind of anemia, the destruction of red blood cells occurs at a faster rate. The infected red blood cells hinder the development of bone marrow cells. People contract hemolytic anemia through family heredity.
• Sickle cell anemia
  It occurs when a defective form of hemoglobin forces red blood cells to take the shape of a crescent (sickle). Later, the infected blood cells collapse ahead of time, resulting in deficient production of red blood cells.

Other types of anemias include thalassemia and malarial anemia.

For diagnosis, your physician might ask you to go through a series of tests and might also enquire about family history relating to anemia. Anemia can be cured by the intake of rich supplements of vitamins, iron, minerals, and a balanced diet.