What is Severe Anemia?

Anemia is the most common blood disorder in the world. Millions of people suffer from it on a regular basis and each day more people are diagnosed with the disorder. It can range from mild to severe anemia and the treatments vary due to this. Diagnosing the disorder, especially in severe anemia cases, is the most important part of treatment.

Severe anemia can lead to more serious health conditions and even death. Finding the correct treatment for the severe anemia can help prevent other problems and even save your life. First, you need to know what symptoms to look for. Fatigue, weakness and decreased energy are common symptoms among all types of anemia. However, the stronger the symptoms, the more severe the case. Shortness of breath is a common symptom of severe anemia. It can occur due to the lack of oxygen being transported to the lungs and may cause other problems. Pale skin and brittle nails are also very common symptoms of severe anemia. The nails may also start to become spoon shaped.

Some other symptoms that could be a warning sign of severe anemia are chest pain and irregular heart rate. If your heart rate is greatly decreased it could be a symptom and immediate medical attention is required. One strange symptom that people often overlook is cravings for crunchy food. Chewing ice or carrots often is a big sign of severe anemia.

Once you have been diagnosed with severe anemia, you will need to get treatment to get it under control. Sometimes, an iron or vitamin supplement will help treat the symptoms, but usually for severe anemia you will need more treatment. In some cases, a blood transfusion is needed. If you have severe anemia due to blood loss, a blood transfusion may be your only option. Doctors like to use this as a worst case scenario, but it is sometimes unavoidable. The blood transfusion will replace the blood and therefore, give the body a sufficient amount of healthy blood cells. Changing your diet to include iron-rich foods could also help reduce the symptoms and prevent them from coming back. If your severe anemia is caused by another health condition, treating that problem will help treat the anemia as well. Finally, in some cases, a doctor will prescribe injections or steroid therapy to help increase the production of hemoglobin and healthy red blood cells. Since getting treatment is the most important thing when it come to severe anemia, speak with your doctor immediately if you notice any symptoms.