Anemia
Medical Author: Siamak Nabili, MD, MPH
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Anemia Symptoms
Some patients with anemia have no symptoms. Others with
anemia may feel:
- tired,
- fatigue easily,
- appear
pale,
- develop palpitations (feeling of heart racing), and
- become short of
breath.
Learn about additional symptoms of anemia »
Top Searched Anemia Terms:
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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:
- by a decrease in production of red blood cell or hemoglobin, or
- 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.
- If the MCV is low (less than 80), the anemia is categorized as microcytic anemia (low cell volume).
- If the MCV is in the normal range (80-100), it is called a
normocytic anemia (normal cell volume).
- 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.
Next: Can not enough iron cause anemia? »
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Anemia
Endocarditis »
What is endocarditis?
Endocarditis is a serious
infection of one of the four heart
valves.
What causes endocarditis?
Endocarditis is caused by a growth of bacteria on one of the heart valves, leading to an infected mass called a "vegetation". The infection may be introduced during brief periods of having bacteria in the bloodstream, such as after dental work, colonoscopy, and other similar procedures.
What are the symptoms of endocarditis?
Patients with endocarditis can develop:
- fever,
- fatigue,
- chills,
- weakness
- aching joints and muscles,
- night sweats,
- edema (fluid collection) in the leg(s), foot (feet), and abdomen,
- malaise,
- shortness of breath, and
- occasionally, scattered small skin
lesions.
In endocarditis, blood cultures can often detect the bacteria causing
the endoca...
Read the Endocarditis article »
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