subject: Anemia: Common disorder of the young and old alike [print this page] Anemia: Common disorder of the young and old alike
Anemia is a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells provide oxygen to body tissues. While many parts of the body are essential to making red blood cells, most of the work is done in the bone marrow. Bone marrow is the soft tissue in the center of bones that helps form blood cells.
Healthy red blood cells last between 90 and 120 days. Parts of your body then remove old blood cells. A hormone called erythropoietin made in your kidneys signal your bone marrow to make more red blood cells.
Hemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying protein inside red blood cells. It gives red blood cells their red color. People with anemia do not have enough hemoglobin.
Some of the most probable causes of anemia are listed below:
Certain medications
Chronic diseases such as cancer, ulcerative colitis, or rheumatoid arthritis
Genes -- some forms of anemia, such as thalassemia, can be inherited
Kidney failure
Blood loss (for example, from heavy menstrual periods orstomach ulcers)
Poor diet
Pregnancy
Problems with bone marrow such as lymphoma, leukemia, or multiple myeloma
Problems with the immune system that cause the destruction of blood cells (hemolytic anemia)
Surgery to the stomach or intestines that reduces the absorption of iron, vitamin B12, orfolic acid
Treatment of Anemia may be directed towards the essential cause, and may include:
Blood transfusions
Corticosteroids or other medicines that suppress the immune system
Erythropoietin, a medicine that helps your bone marrow make more blood cells
Supplements of iron, vitamin B12,folic acid, or other vitamins and minerals
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