Anemia: Causes, Symptoms and Diagnosis

With anemia, your blood does not carry enough oxygen to the rest of your body.

The most common cause is too little iron. The body needs iron to make hemoglobin, an iron-rich protein that gives blood its red color and carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.

Three main causes

Anemia comes about in three main ways:

• blood loss;
• too few red blood cells being made;
• red blood cells being destroyed too fast.

Conditions that can lead to anemia

• heavy periods;
• pregnancy;
• ulcers;
• colon polyps or colon cancer;
• inherited disorders;
• a diet short of iron, folic acid or vitamin B12;
• blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia, or cancer;
• aplastic anemia, which can be inherited or acquired;
• G6PD deficiency, a metabolic disorder.

Symptoms

Anemia can make you feel tired, cold, dizzy and irritable. You may be short of breath or have a headache.

Diagnosis and treatment

A doctor diagnoses anemia with a physical exam and blood tests. Treatment depends on the kind of anemia you have.

Sources

• MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine): "Anemia," with information from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.