A condition in which there is a reduced number of erythrocytes or decreased percentage of hemoglobin in the blood.
A condition characterized by a decreased amount of hemoglobin in the blood. The most common type is iron-deficiency anemia (usually due to a diet low in iron), in which red blood cells are reduced in size and number and hemoglobin levels are low.
Deficiency in either quality or quantity of red corpuscles in the blood.
A disorder of the blood in which there is a deficiency or disorder of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells.
A condition in which the blood is deficient in red blood cells or in hemoglobin.
A reduction in the number, size, or color of red blood cells; results in reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.
Several forms of a disease characterized by loss or destruction of blood or malfunctioning of the blood formation tissues. Loss of blood may be acute or chronic Destruction of blood may result from toxins or other foreign substances or from genetic factors.
A condition characterized by below normal levels of red blood cells and/or hemoglobin due to one or more problems in hemoglobin synthesis and/or red blood cell synthesis or due to loss of blood. Anemia can arise in malnutrition or from non-nutritional causes. The characteristics of nutritional anemia are summarized.
A condition involving deficiency of red blood cells, which contain the hemoglobin that carries the all-important oxygen throughout the body. Red blood cells, originally formed in the bone marrow, live for about 120 days in the bloodstream, with the older ones gradually being trapped in the filtering tissues of the lymphatic system and destroyed, often in the spleen. Anemia can result when more red blood cells are destroyed than are formed, when red blood cells self-destruct in the bloodstream (a process called hemolysis), when large amounts of blood have been lost (as from injury, surgery, or internal bleeding), or when blood cells themselves are defective and incapable of carrying oxygen as they should.
Condition in which the hemoglobin content of the blood is below normal limits. It may be hereditary, congenital, or acquired. Basically, anemia results from a defect in the production of hemoglobin and its carrier, the red blood cell (e.g., production of abnormal hemoglobin, misshapen red blood cells, or inadequate levels of hemoglobin), increased destruction of red blood cells, or blood loss (e.g., in hemorrhage after injury or in excessive menstrual flow). The most common cause is a deficiency in iron, an element necessary for the formation of hemoglobin. Symptoms vary with the severity and cause of the anemia but may include fatigue, weakness, pallor, headache, dizziness, and anorexia. Treatment also depends on the cause and severity and may include an iron-rich diet, iron supplements, blood transfusions, and the correction or elimination of any pathological conditions causing the anemia. There are several types of anemia, including aplastic anemia, pernicious anemia, sickle cell anemia, and thalassemia.
Reduction in the amount of hemoglobin in the blood, thus decreasing the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood.
A blood disorder characterized by fewer-than-normal red blood cells (erythrocytes) and a lower-than-normal quantity of hemoglobin.
A condition marked by the presence of an abnormally low number of red blood cells or hemoglobin molecules, the iron-containing compound in red blood cells that transports oxygen. There are many different types of anemia, each one with its own cause. As a group, anemias are the most common diseases affecting the blood.
A reduction in the mass of circulating red blood cells. Generally, people are considered anemic when their hemoglobin levels are more than two standard deviations below the mean level in their hospital’s laboratory. The diagnosis of anemia is influenced by variables such as the patient’s age (neonates are anemic at levels of hemoglobin that would be considered polycythemic in some adults), gender (men have higher hemoglobin levels than women), pregnancy status (hemodilution in pregnancy lowers measured hemoglobin), residential altitude, and ethnic or racial background.
A reduction in the number of red blood cells in the blood. Anemia is not a disease but a symptom of various diseases, including iron deficiency.
A condition in which there are too few red blood cells or too little hemoglobin in the blood.
A condition in which hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying pigment in the blood, is below normal limits.
Anemia is a medical condition characterized by insufficient levels of iron in the bloodstream caused by a deficiency in red blood cells.
Literally translated, the term means without blood. Medically, it refers to a state of the blood in which there is a diminution of the number of red cells or the amount of hemoglobin. Broadly speaking, there are two main types of anemia. In one kind, iron deficiency anemia, the treatment is to administer iron in some form or another; the other type, pernicious anemia, responds to the injection of vitamin B12 . Neither treatment works for the other kind of anemia. It is quite useless to make a self-diagnosis of anemia and then hopefully take iron tablets obtained from the druggist. A proper diagnosis of anemia can only be made by placing a bead of blood under the microscope to see whether the cells are normal or altered in character and then by testing for the amount of hemoglobin present. Just to guess that anemia is present is a total waste of time and is frequently wrong. In any case, the anemia may be only the first sign of some other complaint; therefore the sooner anemia is correctly diagnosed the sooner the patient can receive the correct treatment for whatever is making him ill. The symptoms for practically all forms of anemia are the same: pallor, breathlessness, and a feeling of weakness.
A condition characterized by a deficiency of red blood cells or hemoglobin in the blood.