bsc home science sub - public health

1. Anemia is a condition in
which you lack enough
healthy red blood cells
to carry adequate
oxygen to your body's
tissues. Having anemia
can make an individual
feel tired and weak.

2. Types of anaemia
•
• . Aplastic anemia
• . Iron deficiency anemia
• . Sickle cell anemia
• . Thalassemia
• . Vitamin deficiency anemia

3. 1] APLASTIC ANAEMIA
• Aplastic anemia is a condition that occurs when your
body stops producing enough new blood cells. The
condition leaves you fatigued and more prone to
infections and uncontrolled bleeding.
• A rare and serious condition, aplastic anemia can
develop at any age. It can occur suddenly, or it can
come on slowly and worsen over time. It can be mild
or severe.
• Treatment for aplastic anemia might include
medications, blood transfusions or a stem cell
transplant, also known as a bone marrow transplant.

4. Symptoms
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Rapid or irregular heart rate
• Pale skin
• Frequent or prolonged infections
• Unexplained or easy bruising
• Nosebleeds and bleeding gums
• Prolonged bleeding from cuts
• Skin rash
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Fever

5. Causes
• The most common cause of aplastic anemia is from your
immune system attacking the stem cells in your bone marrow.
Other factors that can injure bone marrow and affect blood
cell production include:
• Radiation and chemotherapy treatments. While these cancer-
fighting therapies kill cancer cells, they can also damage
healthy cells, including stem cells in bone marrow. Aplastic
anemia can be a temporary side effect of these treatments.
• Exposure to toxic chemicals. Toxic chemicals, such as some
used in pesticides and insecticides, and benzene, an ingredient
in gasoline, have been linked to aplastic anemia. This type of
anemia might improve if you avoid repeated exposure to the
chemicals that caused your illness.

6. . Use of certain drugs. Some medications, such as those used to treat
rheumatoid arthritis and some antibiotics, can cause aplastic
anemia.
. Autoimmune disorders. An autoimmune disorder, in which your
immune system attacks healthy cells, might involve stem cells in your
bone marrow.
. A viral infection. Viral infections that affect bone marrow can play a
role in the development of aplastic anemia. Viruses that have been
linked to aplastic anemia include hepatitis, Epstein-Barr, . .
cytomegalovirus, parvovirus B19 and HIV.
Pregnancy. Your immune system might attack your bone marrow
during pregnancy.
. Unknown factors. In many cases, doctors aren't able to identify the
cause of aplastic anemia (idiopathic aplastic anemia).

7. 2] IRON DEFICIENCY ANAEMIA
• As the name implies, iron deficiency anemia is due to
insufficient iron. Without enough iron, your body can't
produce enough of a substance in red blood cells that
enables them to carry oxygen (hemoglobin). As a result,
iron deficiency anemia may leave you tired and short of
breath.
• You can usually correct iron deficiency anemia with iron
supplementation. Sometimes additional tests or
treatments for iron deficiency anemia are necessary,
especially if your doctor suspects that you're bleeding
internally.

8. Symptoms
• Initially, iron deficiency anemia can be so mild
that it goes unnoticed. But as the body becomes
more deficient in iron and anemia worsens, the
signs and symptoms intensify.
• Iron deficiency anemia signs and symptoms may
include:
• Extreme fatigue
• Weakness
• Pale skin

9. . Chest pain, fast heartbeat or shortness of
breath
. Headache, dizziness or lightheadedness
Cold hands and feet
. Inflammation or soreness of your tongue
. Brittle nails
. Unusual cravings for non-nutritive
substances, such as ice, dirt or starch
Poor appetite, especially in infants and
children

10. Causes
• Causes
• Iron deficiency anemia occurs when your body doesn't have enough
iron to produce hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the part of red blood
cells that gives blood its red color and enables the red blood cells to
carry oxygenated blood throughout your body.
• If you aren't consuming enough iron, or if you're losing too much
iron, your body can't produce enough hemoglobin, and iron
deficiency anemia will eventually develop.
• Causes of iron deficiency anemia include:
• Blood loss. Blood contains iron within red blood cells. So if you lose
blood, you lose some iron. Women with heavy periods are at risk of
iron deficiency anemia because they lose blood during
menstruation. Slow, chronic blood loss within the body — such as
from a peptic ulcer, a hiatal hernia, a colon polyp or colorectal
cancer — can cause iron deficiency anemia. Gastrointestinal
bleeding can result from regular use of some over-the-counter pain
relievers, especially aspirin.

11. . A lack of iron in your diet. Your body regularly gets iron from the
foods you eat. If you consume too little iron, over time your body
can become iron deficient. Examples of iron-rich foods include
meat, eggs, leafy green vegetables and iron-fortified foods. For
proper growth and development, infants and children need iron
from their diets, too.
. An inability to absorb iron. Iron from food is absorbed into your
bloodstream in your small intestine. An intestinal disorder, such as
celiac disease, which affects your intestine's ability to absorb
nutrients from digested food, can lead to iron deficiency anemia. If
part of your small intestine has been bypassed or removed
surgically, that may affect your ability to absorb iron and other
nutrients.
. Pregnancy. Without iron supplementation, iron deficiency anemia
occurs in many pregnant women because their iron stores need to
serve their own increased blood volume as well as be a source of
hemoglobin for the growing fetus.

12. 3] SICKEL CELL ANAEMIA

13. • Sickle cell anemia is one of a group of disorders known as
sickle cell disease. Sickle cell anemia is an inherited red blood
cell disorder in which there aren't enough healthy red blood
cells to carry oxygen throughout your body.
• Normally, the flexible, round red blood cells move easily
through blood vessels. In sickle cell anemia, the red blood are
shaped like sickles or crescent moons. These rigid, sticky cells
can get stuck in small blood vessels, which can slow or block
blood flow and oxygen to parts of the body.
• There's no cure for most people with sickle cell anemia. But
treatments can relieve pain and help prevent complications
associated with the disease.

14. Symptoms
• Signs and symptoms of sickle cell anemia usually appear
around 5 months of age. They vary from person to person and
change over time. Signs and symptoms can include:
• Anemia. Sickle cells break apart easily and die, leaving you
with too few red blood cells. Red blood cells usually live for
about 120 days before they need to be replaced. But sickle
cells usually die in 10 to 20 days, leaving a shortage of red
blood cells (anemia).
• Without enough red blood cells, your body can't get enough
oxygen, causing fatigue.

15. . Episodes of pain. Periodic episodes of pain, called pain crises, are a
major symptom of sickle cell anemia. Pain develops when sickle-
shaped red blood cells block blood flow through tiny blood vessels to
your chest, abdomen and joints. Pain can also occur in your bones.
. The pain varies in intensity and can last for a few hours to a few
weeks. Some people have only a few pain crises a year. Others have a
dozen or more pain crises a year. A severe pain crisis requires a
hospital stay.
. Some adolescents and adults with sickle cell anemia also have
chronic pain, which can result from bone and joint damage, ulcers,
and other causes.
. Swelling of hands and feet. The swelling is caused by sickle-shaped
red blood cells blocking blood flow to the hands and feet.

16. . Frequent infections. Sickle cells can damage your spleen,
leaving you more vulnerable to infections. Doctors
commonly give infants and children with sickle cell anemia
vaccinations and antibiotics to prevent potentially life-
threatening infections, such as pneumonia.
. Delayed growth or puberty. Red blood cells provide your
body with the oxygen and nutrients needed for growth. A
shortage of healthy red blood cells can slow growth in
infants and children and delay puberty in teenagers.
. Vision problems. Tiny blood vessels that supply your eyes
can become plugged with sickle cells. This can damage the
retina — the portion of the eye that processes visual
images — and lead to vision problems.

17. Causes
• Sickle cell anemia is caused by a mutation in the gene that tells your
body to make the iron-rich compound that makes blood red and
enables red blood cells to carry oxygen from your lungs throughout
your body (hemoglobin). In sickle cell anemia, the abnormal
hemoglobin causes red blood cells to become rigid, sticky and
misshapen.
• Both mother and father must pass the defective form of the gene for
a child to be affected.
• If only one parent passes the sickle cell gene to the child, that child
will have the sickle cell trait. With one normal hemoglobin gene and
one defective form of the gene, people with the sickle cell trait make
both normal hemoglobin and sickle cell hemoglobin.
• Their blood might contain some sickle cells, but they generally don't
have symptoms. They're carriers of the disease, however, which
means they can pass the gene to their children.

18. 4] THALASSEMIA
• Thalassemia (thal-uh-SEE-me-uh) is an inherited blood
disorder that causes your body to have less hemoglobin
than normal. Hemoglobin enables red blood cells to
carry oxygen. Thalassemia can cause anemia, leaving you
fatigued.
• If you have mild thalassemia, you might not need
treatment. But more severe forms might require regular
blood transfusions. You can take steps to cope with
fatigue, such as choosing a healthy diet and exercising
regularly.

19. Symptoms
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Pale or yellowish skin
• Facial bone deformities
• Slow growth
• Abdominal swelling
• Dark urine

20. CAUSES
• Thalassemia is caused by mutations in the DNA of cells that make
hemoglobin — the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen
throughout your body. The mutations associated with thalassemia
are passed from parents to children.
• Hemoglobin molecules are made of chains called alpha and beta
chains that can be affected by mutations. In thalassemia, the
production of either the alpha or beta chains are reduced, resulting
in either alpha-thalassemia or beta-thalassemia.
• In alpha-thalassemia, the severity of thalassemia you have depends
on the number of gene mutations you inherit from your parents. The
more mutated genes, the more severe your thalassemia.
• In beta-thalassemia, the severity of thalassemia you have depends
on which part of the hemoglobin molecule is affected.

21. 5] VITAMIN DEFICIENCY
ANAEMIA
• Vitamin deficiency anemia is a lack of healthy red blood cells
caused when you have lower than normal amounts of certain
vitamins. Vitamins linked to vitamin deficiency anemia include
folate, vitamin B-12 and vitamin C.
• Vitamin deficiency anemia can occur if you don't eat enough
foods containing folate, vitamin B-12 or vitamin C, or it can
occur if your body has trouble absorbing or processing these
vitamins.
• It's important to have your doctor diagnose and treat your
anemia. Vitamin deficiency anemia can usually be corrected
with vitamin supplements and changes to your diet.

22. Symptoms
• Signs and symptoms of vitamin deficiency anemia include:
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Pale or yellowish skin
• Irregular heartbeats
• Weight loss
• Numbness or tingling in your hands and feet
• Muscle weakness
• Personality changes
• Unsteady movements
• Mental confusion or forgetfulness

23. Causes
• Vitamin deficiency anemia develops when your body has a
shortage of the vitamins needed to produce enough healthy
red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen from your lungs
throughout your body.
• If your diet is lacking in certain vitamins, vitamin deficiency
anemia can develop. Or vitamin deficiency anemia may
develop because your body can't properly absorb the
nutrients from the foods you eat.

24. Prevention OF ANAEMIA
• Many types of anemia can't be prevented. But you can avoid iron
deficiency anemia and vitamin deficiency anemias by eating a diet
that includes a variety of vitamins and minerals, including:
• Iron. Iron-rich foods include beef and other meats, beans, lentils,
iron-fortified cereals, dark green leafy vegetables, and dried fruit.
• Folate. This nutrient, and its synthetic form folic acid, can be found
in fruits and fruit juices, dark green leafy vegetables, green peas,
kidney beans, peanuts, and enriched grain products, such as bread,
cereal, pasta and rice.
• Vitamin B-12. Foods rich in vitamin B-12 include meat, dairy
products, and fortified cereal and soy products.
• Vitamin C. Foods rich in vitamin C include citrus fruits and juices,
peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, melons and strawberries. These also
help increase iron absorption.