Anemia

Overview and Symptoms

There are many forms of anemia, including:

• Iron deficiency anemia– the most common form of anemia, caused by a shortage of iron in the blood due to significant blood loss through menstruation, surgery, or certain medical conditions
• Vitamin deficiency anemia– caused when the body does not receive sufficient folate and vitamin B-12 to produce enough healthy red blood cells; some people may consume enough of the vitamin but their bodies can’t properly process the vitamins
• Anemia caused by cancer or chronic disease– diseases that involve inflammation – such as cancer, autoimmune disorders, or long-term infections – can decrease the production of red blood cells.
• Aplastic anemia– a life-threatening type of bone marrow failure in which the bone marrow doesn’t produce sufficient red blood cells
• Fanconi anemia– an inherited form of bone marrow failure in which the bone marrow produces decreased amounts of all types of blood cells
• Hemolytic anemia– the low red blood cell count is caused by the destruction – rather than the underproduction – of red blood cells. It occurs when red blood cells are destroyed faster than the bone marrow can make them.
• Sickle cell anemia– an inherited blood disorder in which the body makes red blood cells in the shape of a sickle. These sickle cells tend to cluster and cause blockages, and they live only about 14 days (compared to 120 days for normal red blood cells).
• Thalassemia– a group of inherited blood disorders in which the genes that produce hemoglobin are broken.

Anemia Diagnosis

In addition to reviewing your medical history, your hematologist will request a physical examination, blood testing, and laboratory analysis to diagnose your particular blood disorder.

Hematologists and hematopathologists (pathologists who specialize in blood conditions) examine a sample of your blood under a microscope to analyze red cell, white cell and platelet morphology (shape). Sometimes additional tests, such as a bone marrow biopsy, may be necessary.

Our physicians are especially skilled at discerning benign blood diseases from underlying cancer-related hematologic conditions, and then tailoring care accordingly.