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Anemia

Medical Author: Siamak Nabili, MD, MPH
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Latest News

Anemia Drugs May Cause Deadly Blood Clots

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- New research on cancer patients adds to the controversy surrounding anemia drugs such as Procrit and Aranesp, concluding that they increase the risk of venous thromboembolism, potentially fatal blood clots.

These drugs, called erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), are commonly prescribed to fight anemia associated with chemotherapy and chronic kidney disease. Recent studies have linked them with increased risk of death, stroke and new cancers.

"These drugs hit the market in the mid-1990s, and by 2002, 50% of patients on chemotherapy were receiving them," said lead researcher Dr. Dawn Hershman, co-director of the breast program at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

Initial testing of these drugs was done on only 12 weeks of use, she noted. "Right from the beginning, there was concern that these drugs would cause some side effects, but the initial studies did not find any risk of thrombosis."

Her longer study was more informative. "We confirmed that these agents can increase the risk of thrombosis by twofold," Hershman added.

Learn more about the risks of taking erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) »

Top Searched Anemia Terms:

bone marrow test, complete blood count (CBC), epoetin alfa (Epogin, Procrit), hemoglobin, HIV, iron deficiency, kidney failure, leukemia, hemacrit, pernicious anemia, red blood cell (RBC) count, sickle cell anemia, fibroids

What is anemia?

Anemia is a medical condition in which the red blood cell count or hemoglobin is less than normal. The normal level of hemoglobin is generally different in males and females. For men, anemia is typically defined as hemoglobin level of less than 13.5 gram/100ml and in women as hemoglobin of less than 12.0 gram/100ml. These definitions may vary slightly depending on the source and the laboratory reference used.

What causes anemia?

Any process that can disrupt the normal life span of a red blood cell may cause anemia. Normal life span of a red blood cell is typically around 120 days. Red blood cells are made in the bone marrow.

Anemia is caused essentially through two basic pathways. Anemia is either caused:

  1. by a decrease in production of red blood cell or hemoglobin, or

  2. by a loss or destruction of blood.

As more common classifications of anemia (low hemoglobin) is based on the MCV, or the volume of individual red blood cells.

  1. If the MCV is low (less than 80), the anemia is categorized as microcytic anemia (low cell volume).

  2. If the MCV is in the normal range (80-100), it is called a normocytic anemia (normal cell volume).

  3. If the MCV is high, then it is called a macrocytic anemia (large cell volume).

Looking at each of the components of a complete blood count (CBC), especially the MCV, a physician can gather clues as what may be the most common reason for anemia.

Picture of Red Blood Cells




Next: Can not enough iron cause anemia? »

Anemia - Symptoms Experienced

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