ANEMIA AND ITS CAUSES

Anemia is a condition that develops when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a main part of red blood cells and binds oxygen. If you have too few or abnormal red blood cells, or your hemoglobin is abnormal or low, the cells in your body will not get enough oxygen. Symptoms of anemia -- like fatigue -- occur because organs aren't getting what they need to function properly.Certain forms of anemia are hereditary and infants may be affected from the time of birth.
                                                   CAUSES OF ANEMIA
ANEMIA CAUSED BY BLOOD LOSS:
Red blood cells can be lost through bleeding, which often can occur slowly over a long period of time, and can go undetected. This kind of chronic bleeding commonly results from the following:

• Gastrointestinal conditions such as ulcers, hemorrhoids, gastritis (inflammation of the stomach), and cancer.
• Menstruation and childbirth in women, especially if menstrual bleeding is excessive and if there are multiple pregnancies

ANEMIA CAUSED BY DECREASED RED BLOOD CELL:
With this type of anemia, the body may produce too few blood cells or the blood cells may not function correctly. In either case, anemia can result. Red blood cells may be faulty or decreased due to abnormal red blood cells or a lack of minerals and vitamins needed for red blood cells to work properly.

• Sickle cell anemia
• Iron-deficiency anemia
• Vitamin deficiency
• Bone marrow and stem cell problems

ANEMIA CAUSED BY DESTRUCTION OF RED BLOOD CELLS:
When red blood cells are fragile and cannot withstand the routine stress of the circulatory system, they may rupture prematurely, causing hemolytic anemia. Hemolytic anemia can be present at birth or develop later. Sometimes there is no known cause. Known causes of hemolytic anemia may include:

• Inherited conditions, such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia.
• Stressors such as infections, drugs, snake or spider venom, or certain foods.
• Toxins from advanced liver or kidney disease.
• Inappropriate attack by the immune system (called hemolytic disease of the newborn when it occurs in the fetus of a pregnant woman).
• Vascular grafts, prosthetic heart valves, tumors, severe burns, exposure to certain chemicals, severe hypertension, and clotting disorders.
• In rare cases, an enlarged spleen can trap red blood cells and destroy them before their circulating time is up.