Hemoglobin is the iron-rich protein that allows red blood cells to carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. Your body needs oxygen to work properly. With fewer red blood cells or less hemoglobin, your body may not get enough oxygen.
In anemia of inflammation, you may have a normal or sometimes increased amount of iron stored in your body tissues, but a low level of iron in your blood. Inflammation may prevent your body from using stored iron to make enough healthy red blood cells, leading to anemia. Anemia of inflammation is also called anemia of chronic disease because this type of anemia commonly occurs in people who have chronic conditions that may be associated with inflammation. There are many types of anemia.
Common types include. Anemia of inflammation is the second most common type of anemia, after iron-deficiency anemia. While anemia of inflammation can affect people of any age, older adults are more likely to have this type of anemia because they are more likely to have chronic diseases that cause inflammation. In the United States, about 1 million people older than age 65 have anemia of inflammation.
Anemia of inflammation is typically mild or moderate, meaning that hemoglobin levels in your blood are lower than normal but not severely low. If your anemia becomes severe, the lack of oxygen in your blood can cause symptoms, such as feeling tired or short of breath. Severe anemia can become life-threatening. In people who have CKD, severe anemia can increase the chance of developing heart problems.
Anemia of inflammation typically develops slowly and may cause few or no symptoms. In fact, you may only experience symptoms of the disease that is causing anemia and not notice additional symptoms.
Experts think that when you have an infection or disease that causes inflammation, your immune system causes changes in how your body works that may lead to anemia of inflammation. While anemia of inflammation typically develops slowly, anemia of critical illness is a type of anemia of inflammation that develops quickly in patients who are hospitalized for severe acute infections, trauma, or other conditions that cause inflammation. In some cases, older adults develop anemia of inflammation that is not related to an underlying infection or chronic disease.
Experts think that the aging process may cause inflammation and anemia. Health care professionals use a medical history and blood tests to diagnose anemia of inflammation. A health care professional will ask about your history of infections or chronic diseases that may lead to anemia of inflammation.
Health care professionals use blood tests to check for signs of anemia of inflammation, other types of anemia, or other health problems. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version.
Overview Anemia is a condition in which you lack enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your body's tissues. Aplastic anemia Iron deficiency anemia Sickle cell anemia Thalassemia Vitamin deficiency anemia.
Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Iron deficiency anemia. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Accessed May 29, Anemia testing. Lab Tests Online. Means RT, et al. Diagnostic approach to anemia in adults. American Society of Hematology. Mayo Clinic; Aplastic anemia is a rare bone marrow failure disorder in which the bone marrow stops making enough blood cells red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
However, the few blood cells the marrow does make are normal. Viral infections, ionizing radiation, and exposure to toxic chemicals or drugs can also result in aplastic anemia. Hemolytic anemia occurs when red blood cells are broken up in the bloodstream or in the spleen. Hemolytic anemia may be due to mechanical causes leaky heart valves or aneurysms , infections, autoimmune disorders, or congenital abnormalities in the red blood cell.
Inherited abnormalities may affect the hemoglobin or the red blood cell structure or function. Examples of inherited hemolytic anemias include some types of thalassemia and low levels of enzymes such as glucose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. The treatment will depend on the cause.
Sickle cell anemia is an inherited hemolytic anemia in which the hemoglobin protein is abnormal, causing the red blood cells to be rigid and clog the circulation because they are unable to flow through small blood vessels.
Anemia caused by other diseases - Some diseases can affect the body's ability to make red blood cells. For example, some patients with kidney disease develop anemia because the kidneys are not making enough of the hormone erythropoietin to signal the bone marrow to make new or more red blood cells. Chemotherapy used to treat various cancers often impairs the body's ability to make new red blood cells, and anemia often results from this treatment.
Iron-deficiency anemia is almost always due to blood loss. If you have iron-deficiency anemia, your doctor may order tests to determine if you are losing blood from your stomach or bowels. Other nutritional anemias, such as folate or B deficiency, may result from poor diet or from an inability to absorb vitamins in the gastrointestinal tract.
If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Anemia happens when the number of healthy red blood cells in your body is too low. Anemia affects more than 1. Women and people with chronic diseases such as cancer have the highest risk of developing anemia. Dietary iron, vitamin B, and folate are essential for red blood cells to mature in the body. Normally, 0. Any process that has a negative effect on this balance between red blood cell production and destruction can cause anemia.
Causes of anemia are generally divided into those that decrease red blood cell production and those that increase red blood cell destruction. This typically occurs due to hemorrhaging , which can happen because of:. Overall, however, iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia. It accounts for nearly half of all anemia cases, and is a major nutritional disorder worldwide.
Women need more iron and folate than men because of iron losses during their menstrual cycle and fetal development during pregnancy and breastfeeding. According to the National Institutes of Health , the recommended daily iron intake for adults ages 19 to 50 are as follows:. Men and women over age 50 require only 8 milligrams mg of iron daily.
Good sources of dietary iron include:. Folate is the form of folic acid that occurs naturally in the body. Examples of foods rich in folate are:.
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