St Aiden's Health ~ Anaemia

Could you be suffering from anaemia?

Ché Kelly tells you how to recognise this common condition – and
treat it! Read on for detailed information on this condition. Cited as
the most common nutritional disorder on the planet, it ’ s likely that
you could experience anaemia at some point in your life.

"Anaemia occurs when the level of haemoglobin, the molecule
which transports oxygen in the blood, falls, or the number of red
blood cells falls below normal levels, causing a reduction in the
supply of oxygen to the tissues, " says Cape Town-based Dr Les Emdin.
" Lack of iron in the diet is the most common cause and anyone can
be affected, but women are more at risk because of menstruation
and pregnancy, which causes women to need two-and-a-half times
as much iron as men. "

Lack of iron can also be caused by stomach ulcers, ulcerative colitis,
cancer, or taking aspirin or similar medicine for an extended period,
all of which can cause bleeding in your stomach or intestines. Also,
sometimes children under the age of three grow so fast that their
bodies may have a hard time keeping up with the amount of iron
they need. Because there are a variety of reasons for low iron levels, it
’ s important to find out the reason for yours.

It ’ s equally essential to discover which type of anaemia you are
suffering from. How do you know if you have anaemia? Besides
paleness, general symptoms include fatigue, irritability, unusual
shortness of breath during exercise, a fast heartbeat or chest pain,
cold hands and feet, brittle nails and headaches. To diagnose you,
your doctor will do a simple blood test, but more tests may be
needed to find out what ’ s causing the anaemia.

Types of anaemia

 Iron-deficiency anaemia: this is the most common cause and

it can be

treated by increasing

iron in the diet and taking an

iron supplement.

 Sickle-cell anaemia: this is a hereditary cause of anaemia,

most often

seen in people of

black descent. It is characterised

by the production of

rigid, sickle-shaped red blood cells.

These

abnormal sickle cells break down

faster than normal red blood

cells, resulting in a

chronic shortage of red

blood cells and

anaemia symptoms. Treatment includes antibiotics,

the anti-

cancer drug hydroxyurea and blood transfusions.

 Pernicious anaemia: this is caused when the intestines are

unable to

absorb sufficient

amounts of vitamin B12, which is

required for the

production of red blood cells. Aside from

the

common symptoms, you may

also experience vision problems,

memory loss and difficulty

walking.

Treatment includes vitamin-

B12 injections and supplements.

 Folic acid-deficiency anaemia: as the name suggests, this is

caused by a

lack of folic acid,

which is important for a healthy

blood and nervous

system. Treatment includes eating a diet

high in folic acid (foods such as

beans and legumes, citrus fruits

and juices, dark-green leafy

vegetables,

pork, poultry and

shellfish) and supplements.

 Thalassemia: this hereditary condition tends to be present at

birth. The

genes that are

responsible for proper haemoglobin

production become

damaged. Treatment includes

bloodtransfusions, iron-chelation therapy and

bone-marrow

transplants.

 Aplastic anaemia: this is one of the rarer types, which occurs

when the

body makes

insufficient red and white blood cells.

Causes include radiation

therapy, chemotherapy, toxic

chemicals, some medications and bone-

marrow infections.

Eating to prevent and treat

anaemia ‘

To increase your iron intake, you should eat foods such as liver

(unless you

are pregnant), red

meat, chicken, fish, dried fruit,

nuts, molasses and

green leafy vegetables, ’ says Dr Emdin. ‘

Your body best absorbs the iron

in meat.

To further help your body absorb iron, you should take vitamin-

C pills or

eat foods that are

rich in vitamin C. Some foods block

the absorption of

iron, so try to avoid coffee, tea, egg

yolks,

milk, bran and soy protein when

you ’ re eating foods rich in

iron. ’ You can increase your

vitamin-B12 intake

by eating beef,

pork, eggs, cheese and milk. Vegetarians should eat plenty

yeast extract or B12-fortified foods including ready-to-eat

cereals. You

should also up

your folate intake with green leafy

vegetables, Brussels

sprouts, broccoli, wholegrains,

avocados

and melon.

Pharmacy fact Anaemia affects 20 percent of all women of

child-bearing

age in the United

States. Because of the subtlety

of the symptoms,

women are often unaware that they have

this disorder, because they

attribute the symptoms to the stress

of their daily lives.

Possible

problems for pregnant women with

anaemia include increased risk of

growth

retardation of the

foetus, premature birth, intrauterine death,

rupture of the

amnion and

infection.

Source:

www.wikepedia.org

Words by Ché Kelly

Clicks ClubCard Magazine Issue 1 2007

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