Signs of Anemia: How to Know
Anemia can be a medical condition that can easily affect many people, (especially women), normally without them even knowing it because the symptoms are so subtle. This condition can have several contributing factors, and can appear because of different complications. However, anemia is a serious condition that should be treated, and brought to the attention of your doctor. If you are curious about anemia, what the varieties of it are, and what symptoms to look for in yourself or others, this article can give you more information:
General Symptoms
There are several general symptoms of anemia. The most common is one of constant fatigue and tiredness that makes it difficult to do things on daily basis. Other symptoms may include coldness in the extremities, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, headache, and shortness of breath while exercising, trouble focusing, dizziness, and leg cramps. You also want to be on the lookout for insomnia, as well as pal skin, as both of these are also symptoms that can mean you have anemia. Because the symptoms are often so mild at the beginning, the only true way to know if you have anemia is to go to your doctor, who can evaluate the signs of anemia against your symptoms, and perform a blood test.
Specific Types of Anemia
There are several specific types of anemia, each with their own signs of anemia type. Most commonly, anemia is caused by low iron in the blood. When this is true, people hunger for strange substances, their mouth becomes sore and cracks form at the corners, and an upward curvature of the nails appears. Vitamin b12 deficiency can also lead to anemia. The signs of anemia in this case include tingling in the extremities, difficulty walking, clumsiness, dementia, and hallucinations. Chronic lead poisoning can also lead to anemic that include the problems of constipation, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, and a blue-black line stretching along the gums. Sickle Cell Anemia is another possibility, which results in joint pain, delayed development in children, tiredness, and lots of infections. Red blood cell destruction may cause anemia. Symptoms of this type of anemia include Jaundice, ulcers on the leg, gallstone symptoms, and brown or red urine. If e destruction of red blood cells occurs rapidly, the patient might experience small bruises under the skin, signs of kidney failure, and seizures.
When to Contact Your Doctor
Contact you doctor if you feel you have anemia, as they are the only ones that can truly tell. It is especially important to seek out medical help if you feel you have a poor intake of minerals and vitamins, heavy periods, or any of the other above listed general symptoms. You should also seek help if you have hereditary anemia in your family, and would like to conceive. If you feel you have been exposed to lead, see your doctor, as well. Other symptoms, like that of an ulcer, hemorrhoids, bloody stools, and tarry stools should also be taken seriously.