A simple explanation of anaemia.

1. What is anaemia?
• Anaemia is a lack of red blood cells
• Red blood cells carry oxygen around the body
• Red blood cells do this with the help of a
protein called haemoglobin
• Red blood cells are made in the bone marrow
• The bone marrow is a liquid inside the bones,
where all blood cells are made

2. IN OUT
Your blood
• The bone marrow makes red blood cells
• Each red blood cell lives 3 months in our body and then gets
destroyed by the spleen
• In normal circumstances, the bone marrow needs to make as
many red blood cells every day as get destroyed
• In other words, as many cells need to go “in” as come “out”

3. IN OUT
• Anaemia means there are not enough red blood cells
• There are many different causes for this
Your blood

4. IN OUT
• Anaemia means there are not enough red blood cells
• There are many different causes for this
• Sometimes not enough cells are going “in”
Your blood

5. IN OUT
• Anaemia means there are not enough red blood cells
• There are many different causes for this
• Sometimes not enough cells are going “in”
• Sometimes too many cells are going “out”
Your blood

6. IN OUT
• Either way, too little going “in” or too many going “out”
means not enough red blood cells
• This makes the patient tired and pale and short of breath
and difficulty concentrating
Your blood

7. IN OUT
• Some anaemias where there is too much going “out”
include:
• Heavy or continuous bleeding
• Haemolytic Anaemia (eg pyruvate kinase deficiency,
hereditary spherocytosis)
Your blood

8. IN OUT
• Some anaemias where there is not enough going “in”
include:
• Diamond Blackfan Anaemia
• Congenital Dyserythropoietic Anaemia
Your blood

9. Any questions?
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