The 5 Most Common Types of Anemia

Anemia is a condition in which your body doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to your tissues. Your red blood cells contain hemoglobin, an iron-rich protein that enables the cells to carry the oxygen. To produce hemoglobin and red blood cells, your body needs iron, minerals, protein and vitamins.

Most people with anemia feel exhausted all the time. There are many forms of anemia, with different underlying causes. Anemia can’t be treated until its underlying cause has been established, as the treatment for one type may not be appropriate for another. Treatment can vary from taking vitamin or iron supplements to surgery or blood transfusions. This article will provide you with a guide to the five most common types of anemia. It does not constitute or replace medical advice. If you think you have anemia and have not seen a doctor, please do so, as anemia can be a symptom of a serious illness.

There are 400 types of anemia, but the most common types are as follows:

• Iron-deficiency anemia. This is the most common type of anemia. It occurs when your body can’t make enough hemoglobin. This type of anemia is especially common among women of childbearing age. Menstruation and pregnancy increase a woman’s need for iron (pregnancy in fact doubles it), and this lack of iron leads to anemia.

• Pernicious anemia. This is also called Vitamin B-12 anemia. Pernicious anemia is caused by your intestines’ inability to absorb enough Vitamin B-12, a vitamin your body requires to make red blood cells. A diet lacking in B-12 and other important vitamins and minerals can also lead to anemia.

• Aplastic anemia. Aplastic anemia is when your body cannot make enough red blood cells. This type of anemia can be caused by the destruction of bone marrow by factors outside of your body, such as exposure to chemical agents, medical treatments or physical factors. Arsenic, X-rays, and chemotherapy are all examples of this type of exposure. Sometimes, the cause of aplastic anemia is unknown, although autoimmune disease is believed to be a cause as well.

• Sickle Cell anemia. This is a hereditary condition that is characterized by red blood cells taking on a crescent (sickle) shape. These abnormal sickle cells break down faster than normal red blood cells, resulting in a chronic shortage of red blood cells in your body. This type of anemia is more common in people of African, Arabic and Mediterranean descent.

• Trauma related anemia. This occurs when your body loses a large amount of red blood cells at one time, such as when you are injured in a car accident. The anemia is caused by the body’s inability to transfer oxygen or nutrients to its organs without the red blood cells. Once the cause of the loss of red blood cells is found and stopped, treatment can begin.

Source List:

http://www.essortment.com/all/typesanemia_rdes.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/anemia/DS00321