8 Symptoms of Anemia, from Common to Most Typical by Kind
Anemia is a disease caused by a lack of red blood cell production. In fact, red blood cells are important for transporting oxygen and nutrients needed by the body. If your body lacks red blood cells, you are prone to experiencing various symptoms of anemia. Knowing the characteristics of anemia can help you get the right treatment or prevent anemia. Check out the following reviews.
Common symptoms of anemia that need to be watched out for
How severe or how often your symptoms appear is usually related to the severity of your condition.
People who have mild anemia may have no symptoms at all. Meanwhile, people with severe anemia may often experience symptoms and sometimes be very difficult to deal with them.
Here is a list of the most common symptoms and features of anemia:
1. Fatigue
Fatigue is the most common symptom of a lack of blood. However, the fatigue that characterizes anemia is a little different from ordinary fatigue.
Fatigue or exhaustion occurs because your body lacks hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a special protein that functions to bind oxygen and transport it throughout the body through the help of red blood cells.
When the body lacks hemoglobin, automatically all cells and tissues of your body will be deprived of oxygen. As a result, the heart has to work harder to circulate oxygenated red blood cells throughout the body. That is why you feel tired quickly.
2. Pale skin
Pale skin is one of the common features of anemia. Hemoglobin is the blood’s red colorant.
The skin tissue itself has many small blood vessels. Our skin tone is more or less influenced by smooth blood circulation. That’s why when hemoglobin levels are low, the skin can turn pale.
Pale skin color as a symptom of lack of blood can be seen in all parts of the body, or only certain parts. However, the areas that usually appear to blanch more easily are the face, gums, inner lips, lower eyelids, and ridges of the nails.
A person whose skin is pale usually has moderate to severe symptoms of anemia.
3. Dizziness and headaches
A sudden, spinning sensation of dizziness or lightheadedness can be a symptom of anemia. The reason is the same, namely because the body lacks adequate hemoglobin supplies.
In addition to giving blood its red color, hemoglobin carries oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. When hemoglobin levels are low, oxygen supply may not be able to get to the brain. That is why, you feel dizzy, especially when standing up from sitting or lying down.
In addition, lack of oxygen also makes the blood vessels in the brain swell and puts pressure on other parts, causing headaches.
4. Shortness of breath
Lack of hemoglobin levels in the blood results in a lack of oxygen supply throughout the body. This condition makes the muscles do not get enough oxygen to be able to carry out normal daily activities, such as walking, up and down stairs, to light exercise.
When the oxygen level is insufficient, the respiratory rate increases. This is one way the body can get adequate oxygen.
However, the harder your lungs work to accommodate oxygen, the more tight your chest will feel even if you only do light activity.
5. Heart palpitations
The characteristics of anemia due to iron deficiency generally cause the sensation of a racing heart, which is called palpitations.
The minimal level of hemoglobin in the blood makes the heart have to work extra hard to circulate oxygenated blood. That’s why the heart beats faster and faster as it tries to pump oxygen.
This symptom usually occurs when you have been suffering from anemia for a long time.
6. Dry skin and hair
Symptoms of anemia can also be seen from the condition of the skin and hair. Dry skin and damaged hair are usually a sign that a person is deficient in iron.
This is because the supply of oxygen and nutrients to various organs and tissues of the body is reduced. Lack of oxygen makes the tissues weaker, including the skin and hair.
In fact, some people who have anemia also experience symptoms of hair loss.
7. The tongue is swollen and the mouth feels sore
Another sign that you have anemia is a swollen, inflamed, and pale tongue.
This condition is again caused by low hemoglobin levels so that the tongue is no longer pink as it should be.
Meanwhile, low levels of myoglobin also cause pain in the tongue and cause it to swell. Myoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that helps support muscle work.
Symptoms of anemia also cause other mouth problems, such as dry mouth, red cracks at the corners of the lips, and mouth sores.
8. Cold hands and feet
Symptoms of lack of blood due to iron deficiency anemia can make the hands and feet feel cold. This is due to the lack of oxygen supply flowing from the heart to the two parts.
Some people feel cold even more easily on certain days than on others because of this disease.
Symptoms and characteristics of anemia based on the type?
Anemia is a blood disorder that has many different types. Each type of anemia is triggered by a different cause.
Quoted from the Mayo Clinic, different causes of anemia, different symptoms. In addition to the general list of symptoms above, here are other characteristics that only appear in each type of anemia:
1. Iron deficiency anemia
Iron deficiency anemia or iron deficiency usually indicated by a variety of symptoms, such as:
- Tired easily
- Nails break easily or become brittle
- Swollen or sore tongue
- Sores at the corners of the lips
- Craving for the odd (pica), such as paper and ice cubes
- Koilonychias (spoon-like nails)
In addition, iron deficiency anemia may also cause itching of the skin. When you scratch your skin, it can also cause redness and bumps that resemble a rash. This condition is called anemia rash.
2. Folic acid deficiency anemia
Folic acid plays an important role in the manufacture of healthy red blood cells. Lack of folic acid causes you to develop folic acid deficiency anemia, with symptoms including:
- Easily angry
- Diarrhea
- Pale skin
- The surface of the tongue is smooth and the rash is gone
- Numbness in certain body parts
- It’s hard to walk well; often wobble, or fall easily
- The muscles in the arms and legs are often stiff or tingling
3. Aplastic anemia
Aplastic anemia is a type of anemia that is caused by damage stem cells in the bone marrow. Apart from the various general characteristics that have been mentioned above, aplastic anemia is also characterized by symptoms, such as:
- Nausea
- There is blood in the urine
- Swollen stomach and feet
- Rash (anemia rash)
This is the type of anemia that most often causes the rash. The rash resembles a rash or red spot and is most common in the neck, arms and legs.
However, these red patches do not cause pain or itching. You can identify rash anemia by pressing on the rash and the patches will remain red.
4. Fanconi anemia
Fanconi anemia is a hereditary blood disease that prevents the bone marrow from producing the three main types of blood cells (white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets / platelets). Symptoms of fanconi anemia are:
- Have an abnormal shape or size of the fingers.
- Experiencing problems with the heart, kidneys and bones
- Smaller than normal size of body, head, and eyes.
5. Hemolytic anemia
Hemolytic anemia occurs when the bone marrow can’t make enough new red blood cells to replace the red blood cells that were destroyed prematurely.
Typical symptoms of hemolytic anemia in addition to the common ones above are:
- The skin, nails, whites of the eyes turn yellow (jaundice)
- Purulent ulcers that are difficult to heal, usually on the legs.
- Swollen spleen
- The upper abdomen hurts
6. Pernicious anemia
Pernicious anemia is a type of anemia that is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B12. Anemic people’s bodies who are unable to absorb or have enough vitamin B12 generally cause symptoms such as:
- The nerves in the body are damaged
- Feeling confused
- Dementia
- It’s easy to forget
- Depression
- Nausea or heartburn occasionally
- Weight loss
7. Sickle cell anemia
Sickle cell anemia or sickle cell anemia has a characteristic symptom of sudden, sudden pain throughout the body. Damage to the spleen is also a typical symptom of this blood disease.
As a result you will experience pswelling of the hands and feet as a symptom of sickle cell anemia. In addition, this type of anemia can also cause other characteristics such as:
- Swelling of the hands and feet
- Susceptible to infection.
- Severe stomach or joint pain.
- The growth and development of children is very slow.
When to see a doctor if you experience symptoms of lack of blood?
Although sometimes asymptomatic, you should not ignore this condition. If in the last 2-3 weeks you feel tired easily for no apparent reason, get checked out immediately doctor.
Tired easily can be a symptom that you have low hemoglobin or red blood cell levels. However, these symptoms can also indicate lack of intake of certain nutrients or vitamins.
By consulting a doctor, you will find out more quickly if you are diagnosed with anemia and determine the most appropriate treatment options. When you receive the right treatment, you can prevent complications that may occur due to anemia.
To make sure that your symptoms are positive for anemia, your doctor will perform a variety of basic physical examinations and order the following tests:
- Complete blood count to determine the amount, size, volume, and level of hemoglobin in red blood cells.
- Test blood iron levels and serum ferritin levels to see iron stores in the body.
- Test the levels of vitamin B12 and folate, both of which are vitamins necessary for the production of red blood cells.
- Special blood tests to detect rare causes of anemia.
- Reticulocyte count, bilirubin and blood tests, and other urine tests for possible hemolytic anemia.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
