ANAEMIA.
It occurs due to reduced hemoglobin level in blood. This may occur due to changes in plasma volume. This condition is mainly seen in dehydration and in stress condition called stress polycythaemia-a condition with low plasma volume due to stress or hard work.
Anemic patients may be asymptomatic if their blood formation is higher than red blood cell destruction or hemoglobin reduction. Depending on the red cell indices, anemia into grouped into three main classes.
a).Hypo-chromatic microcytic anemia.-associated with iron deficiency, chronic disease, or sideroblastic anemia.
b).Norm-chromatic normocytic anemia.-associated with acute blood loss, endocrine diseases, infections such as malaria or cancers.
c).Macrocytic anemia.-occur due to vitamin B12 deficiency or lack of folic acid.
Iron deficiency anemia occur due to blood loss such as through an injury, increased demand for iron during pregnancy, poor iron intake, or reduced iron absorption for example due to intestinal infections.
Chronic disease anemia may occur due to tuberculosis, rheumatoid arthritis, auto immune diseases and malignance. This is due to the reduced iron release from the bone marrow. The condition leads to a reduced level of red cell survival and reduced response to production of red cells.
Sideroblastic anemia is an inherited type with excess iron forming rings in the bone marrow.
Hemolytic anemia occurs when the rate of red cell destruction is higher than the body can replace them. Hemolysis refers to red cell destruction. The normal red cell life span is 120 days after which the spleen destroys them. But in anemia, the life span of the cells is reduced and the cells die at an earlier time.
Symptoms includes; fatigue, headache, breathlessness, faintness, cardiac failure, bone deformity, spoon shaped nails and leg ulcers.