Anemia
This is a condition that normally develops when blood lacks enough hemoglobin or red blood cells. Hemoglobin being part of the red blood cells is responsible for binding oxygen. When one has abnormal or too few red blood cells or the hemoglobin is low or abnormal, the cells in the body will lack enough oxygen (World Health Organization. 2015). Symptoms like fatigue occur in people with anemia because the body organs lack what they need to operate appropriately. Other possible symptoms are; feeling tired, a feeling of the heart racing, feel having short of breath, experiencing worse heart problems and appearing pale.
Treatment of anemia highly depends on and varies depending on the cause. It is essentially caused by two factors either by a decrease in the production of hemoglobin or red blood cells. The second cause is an increase in destruction or loss of red blood cells. The most common type of anemia is iron deficiency anemia (Chung et al. 2014). This is because of the fact that iron is an important component of the hemoglobin, and it’s crucial for it to function properly.
Treatment of anemia
The drugs prescribed to a patient suffering from anemia will depend on the cause.
Iron deficiency anemia is treated with prescription of ferrous sulfate. This is a supplement of iron, and it comes with side effects like vomiting, nausea, heartburn. The second type of anemia is that which is caused by the deficiency of folate (Dahlerup et al., 2015). Daily folic acid tablets are prescribed for patients. For more severe anemia like sickle cell, a blood transfusion is in most cases necessary.
Age is a factor that greatly influences the impact of the effects of drugs prescribed to patients. For instance, for elderly people, it is unlikely that the drugs will work if the cause of anemia is not identified (Shavelle et al., 2012). Tests have to be conducted to identify the specific type of anemia in the elderly persona procedure that important in minimizing the side effects of certain drugs that might not cure the presenting symptoms of anemia.
References
Chung, S. D., Sheu, J. J., Kao, L. T., Lin, H. C., & Kang, J. H. (2014). Dementia is associated with iron-deficiency anemia in females: A population-based study. Journal of the neurological sciences, 346(1), 90-93.
Dahlerup, J. F., Eivindson, M., Jacobsen, B. A., Jensen, N. M., Jørgensen, S. P., Laursen, S. B. & Nathan, T. (2015). Diagnosis and treatment of unexplained anemia with iron deficiency without overt bleeding. Danish medical journal, 61(4).
Shavelle, R. M., MacKenzie, R., &Paculdo, D. R. (2012). Anemia and mortality in older persons: does the type of anemia affect survival?International journal of hematology, 95(3), 248-256.
World Health Organization. (2015). Hemoglobin concentrations for the diagnosis of anemia and assessment of severity, Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Information System. Geneva: World Health Organization.
