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Anaemia: Types

Aplastic a. Anaemia caused by deficient red cell production due to bone marrow disorders. Haemolytic a. Anaemia is the result of the destruction of red blood cells (RBCs) by drugs, artificial heart valves, toxins, snake venoms, infections, and antibodies. Drugs may either destroy the RBC membrane directly or may stimulate the production of autoantibodies that lyse (kill) the RBCs. Children may develop hemolytic anaemia in response to the destruction of RBCs by viral and bacterial organisms. Artificial valves cause physical damage to the RBC membrane during the circulation of blood through the heart. Iron deficiency a. Anaemia resulting from a greater demand for stored iron that can be supplied. The red blood cell count may sometimes be normal, but there will be insufficient Hb. Erythrocytes will be pale (hypochromic) and have abnormal shapes (poikilocytosis). Macrocytic a. Anaemia marked by abnormally large erythrocytes. Megaloblastic a. Anaemia in which megaloblasts are f...
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Anemia: Introduction

Anemia is a reduction in the mass of circulating red blood cells. Generally, people are considered anaemic when their haemoglobin levels are more than two standard deviations below the mean level in their hospital’s laboratory. The diagnosis of anaemia is influenced by variables such as the patient’s age (neonates are anaemic at levels of haemoglobin that would be considered polycythemic in some adults), pregnancy status (haemodilution in pregnancy lowers measured haemoglobin), residential altitude, and ethnic or racial background. Symptomatic anaemia exists when Hb content is less than that required to meet the oxygen-carrying demands of the body. If anaemia develops slowly, however, there may be no functional impairment even though the Hb is less than 7g/100ml of blood. Anaemia is not a disease but rather a symptom of other illness.
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