Anemia Summary If you have anemia, your blood does not carry enough oxygen to the rest of your body. The most common cause of anemia is not having enough iron. Your body needs iron to make hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is an iron-rich protein that gives the red color to blood. It carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Anemia has three main causes: blood loss, lack of red blood cell production, and high rates of red blood cell destruction. Conditions that may lead to anemia include Heavy periods Pregnancy Ulcers Colon polyps or colon cancer Inherited disorders A diet that does not have enough iron, folic acid or vitamin B12 Blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia, or cancer Aplastic anemia, a condition that can be inherited or acquired G6PD deficiency, a metabolic disorder Anemia can make you feel tired, cold, dizzy, and irritable. You may be short of breath or have a headache. Your doctor will diagnose anemia with a physical exam and blood tests. Treatment depends on the kind of anemia you have. NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Encyclopedia Aase syndrome Anemia caused by low iron – children Antiparietal cell antibody test Bone marrow biopsy Congenital spherocytic anemia Donath-Landsteiner test Drug-induced immune hemolytic anemia Erythropoietin test Febrile/cold agglutinins Folate-deficiency anemia Ham test Haptoglobin blood test Hemoglobin C disease Hemoglobin electrophoresis Hemolytic anemia caused by chemicals and toxins Hemolytic crisis Immune hemolytic anemia Lactate dehydrogenase test LDH isoenzyme blood test Paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria (PCH) Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) Plummer-Vinson syndrome Pyruvate kinase blood test Pyruvate kinase deficiency Schilling test Serum free hemoglobin test Serum iron test Stool guaiac test Subacute combined degeneration Sugar-water hemolysis test Total iron binding capacity Children About Anemia Nemours Foundation Anemia (For Parents) Nemours Foundation Anemia in the Newborn Merck & Co., Inc. G6PD Deficiency (Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase) (For Parents) Nemours Foundation Iron-Deficiency Anemia (For Parents) Nemours Foundation Teenagers Anemia Nemours Foundation Start Here Anemia American Academy of Family Physicians Anemia National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Anemia American Society of Hematology Avoiding Anemia: Boost Your Red Blood Cells National Institutes of Health Your Guide to Anemia National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Seniors Anemia AGS Foundation for Health in Aging Women Anemia Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health Anemia and Pregnancy American Society of Hematology Pregnancy Complications: Anemia March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation Array Anemia Anemia – B12 deficiency Anemia caused by low iron — infants and toddlers Anemia of chronic disease Ferritin blood test Hemolytic anemia Iron deficiency anemia Pernicious anemia Vitamin B12 level Related Issues Anemia New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Anemia in People with Cancer American Cancer Society Blood Transfusions Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation Craving and Chewing Ice: A Sign of Anemia? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research What Causes Anemia? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Specifics Anemia Due to Excessive Bleeding Merck & Co., Inc. Anemia of Inflammation and Chronic Disease National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Hemoglobin C, S-C, and E Diseases Merck & Co., Inc. Hemolytic Anemia National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Iron-Deficiency Anemia National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH) Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation Pernicious Anemia National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Vitamin Deficiency Anemia Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Patient Handouts Anemia of Inflammation and Chronic Disease Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Anemia National Cancer Institute Reference Desk Blood (For Parents) Nemours Foundation Treatments and Therapies Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplant National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Drug Safety Communication: Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESAs) Food and Drug Administration Epoetin and Darbepoetin Treatment for Adults with Cancer American Society of Clinical Oncology How Is Anemia Treated? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute How Is Hemolytic Anemia Treated? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute How Is Iron-Deficiency Anemia Treated? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute How Is Pernicious Anemia Treated? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute What Is a Blood Transfusion? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Diagnosis and Tests Blood Smear American Association for Clinical Chemistry Complete Blood Count American Association for Clinical Chemistry Direct Antiglobulin Test American Association for Clinical Chemistry Ferritin Test American Association for Clinical Chemistry Hemoglobinopathy Evaluation American Association for Clinical Chemistry How Is Anemia Diagnosed? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Iron Test American Association for Clinical Chemistry Reticulocyte Count Test American Association for Clinical Chemistry TIBC, UIBC and Transferrin American Association for Clinical Chemistry Vitamin B12 and Folate Test American Association for Clinical Chemistry What Are Bone Marrow Tests? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Anemia, Iron-Deficiency National Institutes of Health Statistics and Research FastStats: Anemia or Iron Deficiency National Center for Health Statistics Genetics Genetics Home Reference: acute promyelocytic leukemia National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Coats plus syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: congenital dyserythropoietic anemia National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Diamond-Blackfan anemia National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Ghosal hematodiaphyseal dysplasia National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: glucose phosphate isomerase deficiency National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: hereditary folate malabsorption National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: hereditary spherocytosis National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Imerslund-Gräsbeck syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: iron-refractory iron deficiency anemia National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Majeed syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: mucolipidosis type IV National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: phosphoglycerate kinase deficiency National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: pyruvate kinase deficiency National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: REN-related kidney disease National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: thiamine-responsive megaloblastic anemia syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: triosephosphate isomerase deficiency National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: X-linked sideroblastic anemia National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: X-linked sideroblastic anemia and ataxia National Library of Medicine Living With Iron National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements Living with Anemia National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Treatment of Anemia in Patients with Heart Disease: A Clinical Practice Guideline American College of Physicians Vitamin B12 National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements Find an Expert National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Journal Articles Anemia Symptoms What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Anemia? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Prevention and Risk Factors Who Is at Risk for Anemia? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
