Anemia is an increasingly common problem due to the large number of different causes behind it. It generally affects women more than men because they experience recurrent blood loss during menstruation. It also affects a large part of the population that has recently changed their diet without being properly informed, among many other groups. Knowing how to detect if I have anemia is the first step to cure myself and have a much higher quality of life.
Anemia can affect your day to day, leaving you tired and with little desire to do any other activity. Here we will tell you the symptoms, how to detect it, the causes and what to do about it. To begin with, if you think you may have this disease, you can find out for sure by doing an anemia test.
What is anemia
According to the Mayo Clinic, anemia is a condition in which you don’t have enough red blood cells to carry optimal levels of oxygen to your body’s tissues.
There are several types of anemia:
- Aplastic: Occurs because the body stops producing the necessary number of new blood cells. It is a rare and extremely serious condition.
- Sickle cell: This is an inherited disorder that can change the shape and stiffness of some blood cells, causing blockages in blood flow.
- Due to iron deficiency: It is the most common type of anemia, in this the blood does not have enough healthy red blood cells to transport oxygen. This is because without the necessary iron, the blood cannot produce hemoglobin.
- Due to vitamin deficiency: In this case, mainly due to a lack of B12 and folate, the body produces red blood cells that are very large and do not work properly. This decreases its ability to carry oxygen.
- Thalassemia: An inherited disorder that causes you to have less hemoglobin than you should.
Symptoms
Anemia can have multiple symptoms. The stronger it is, the stronger the symptoms, of course. The most common are:
- Fatigue
- Skin paleness
- Tachycardia
- Trouble breathing
- Weak nails and hair
When the anemia is very severe, heavy bleeding, sweating or low blood pressure may occur.
This disease is increasingly common, as pointed out by the World Health Organization, it especially affects pregnant women and children. It is estimated that about 42% of children under 5 years of age are anemic. Also 40% of pregnant women.
As we told you previously, the first step to put yourself in treatment, in case you suspect that you may have this disease, is to clear up doubts and know for sure if you really suffer from anemia or not. You can purchase this test here. You will know your iron levels, the most common type of anemia, and it will also tell you if you suffer from any type of anemia. It is done through a blood test, and you must take it on an empty stomach.
Once you know what type of anemia you have, you can adjust your diet or go to your doctor for treatment.
David Peña Neira
SEM specialist at Civitatis. Digital marketing and data analysis expert with experience in planning and implementing digital campaigns and as product manager. Graduated from a Master in Big Data and another in Digital Marketing