What is anemia?
Anemia, or more commonly known as hemoglobin deficiency, is the most common blood-related disorder in the United States. It affects your hemoglobin levels and red blood cells. Hemoglobin is a protein present in red blood cells that carry oxygen from your lungs and deliver it to your body. Iron is an essential component in the formation of hemoglobin. Anemic patients have a deficiency of iron – a pathology is termed as iron deficiency anemia.
Types of anemia
Following are some common types of anemia:
Aplastic anemia
It occurs when stem cells of bone marrow are damaged, and the body does not produce sufficient new blood cells. This pathology affects your white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. It is also known as bone marrow failure.
Hemolytic anemia
This disease occurs when the body destroys red blood cells before their lifespan ends. The average lifespan of RBCs is approximately 120 days.
Normocytic anemia
It is the type of anemia in which the size of red blood cells is normal, but they are present in less amount in the body.
Pernicious anemia
This occurs due to the deficiency of vitamin B12. It leads to a shortage of red blood cells in the body.
Sickle cell anemia
A genetic disease that lowers the count of red blood cells. It usually occurs when a person is born with an abnormality in his two hemoglobin genes.
