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Blood transfusions can be a life-saving treatment, especially for patients who find themselves in the emergency room and for patients undergoing surgery. However, there are also several risks to receiving blood transfusions, and for non-critical patients a blood transfusion may not be the best treatment option. This article describes how anemia can develop, discusses the risks and benefits of receiving a blood transfusion to treat anemia, and provides some helpful questions to ask your doctor if you are severely anemic.

Anemia symptoms can vary widely from patient to patient and it can be difficult even for doctors to know if certain symptoms are caused directly by anemia or if they are emerging because of other conditions or health complications. Additionally, some symptoms or behaviors can incorrectly become associated with anemia because the two occur together in certain cases, even if one does not directly relate to the other. This installment of Anemia Myth Busters will discuss some common symptoms of anemia and de-mystify the role anemia plays in regards to chewing ice, hair loss and a lack of sleep.

With growing concern about this year’s flu season due to the spread of the H1N1 virus, many patients may be curious if having anemia can put them at a higher risk for complications from the flu or if they should be receiving a vaccination. This article recommends some steps you can take to prepare for flu season if you have anemia and also describes the role chronic illnesses play in causing anemia and potentially leading to serious complications from a viral infection.

Bariatric surgery, also known as weight loss surgery, has become increasingly popular in recent years to help the morbidly obese permanently reduce their weight. In the past decade the number of surgeries has increased more than 10-fold with about 220,000 surgeries taking place in the United States in 2008 alone. Despite its increasing popularity and considerable success, bariatric surgery does not come without important nutritional considerations. Many bariatric patients develop new or worsen preexisting iron and vitamin deficiencies, with some patients becoming anemic in the months and years following the procedure. This article discusses how nutritional deficiencies can develop and provides tips on how to avoid deficiencies and anemia following the procedure.

New drugs are an important part of today’s healthcare, making millions of peoples lives better every day. For over 90 years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been responsible for protecting the public health, by ensuring that all new drugs – prescription and nonprescription – are safe and effective for patients. This article describes the FDA’s approval process which requires drug manufacturer to prove the safety and effectiveness of their drugs through many rounds of clinical trials before becoming widely available to patients.

Some types of anemia can develop as a result of an iron deficiency, a vitamin deficiency, aging, surgery or by acquired chronic conditions like cancer, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, kidney disease, heart disease, hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, and rheumatoid arthritis. [] focuses on these types of anemia with a variety of education resources on this website. Other times, anemia can be caused by a hereditary condition that occurs because of small variations in a patient’s genes. In these cases, some very specific flaws that are inherited from parents can lead to a person being inflicted with conditions like sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, Fanconi anemia and others.

Normally, your doctor will recommend you take an oral iron supplement and continue to monitor the iron levels in your body. If your iron levels do not improve, however, treatment with iron injections may be an option. Iron injections are generally given to patients with a severe iron deficiency or those receiving erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), but only your doctor can determine if they are right for you. To help you prepare for this discussion with your doctor, this article includes information about iron injections and treating iron deficiency and anemia.

Are you feeling tired and run down? Has your doctor told you that you have anemia? If so, you may be wondering what this means and what you’ll need to do next. The answer is, it’s different depending on what may be causing you to feel tired, run down, or to be anemic. To help you recognize anemia before it becomes a serious burden, this article discusses the various symptoms you might experience, how to talk about these symptoms with your doctor, and some of the steps your doctor may follow to determine if your symptoms are related to anemia.

Medications that increase the production of red blood cells, called erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), are one of the most common drugs used to treat anemia. When the kidneys cannot make enough natural erythropoietin, your doctor may prescribe an ESA. Synthetic ESA drugs act like the natural erythropoietin, and are given to produce more red blood cells and raise hemoglobin levels. Currently there are two ESA drugs available in the United States to treat anemia - erythropoietin alfa and darbepoetin alfa - which have been administered successfully to millions of patients worldwide.

Diabetes is a major health problem, affecting approximately 20.8 million people in the United States. For one-quarter of these patients, anemia is a common concern that can seriously affect their health and well-being. Fortunately, anemia can be treated, and benefits such as increased energy, activity level and improved quality of life can be achieved. Working together, doctors and patients can effectively control anemia through medication and lifestyle changes.

While most people are aware rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients suffer from aching joints, many might not realize that RA patients may also be dealing with anemia. Anemia occurs commonly with RA, affecting roughly 30-60% of the approximately 1.3 million RA patients in the United States. It can be caused by the inflammation associated with the RA and also by an iron deficiency - possibly from taking RA medications. Recognizing the symptoms of anemia so that you can managing both the inflammation and iron deficiency is important so RA patients can feel better and improve their joint swelling, vitality and muscle strength.

Adolescence is a &dlquo;coming of age,&drquo; as children grow into young adults. These teen years are a period of intense growth, not only physically, but also mentally and socially. Proper nutrition, including adequate iron intake, plays an important part of your teenager’s growth and development. Because of this rapid growth, adolescents are especially vulnerable to anemia, but parents can help their teenager be at their best by teaching them some easy ways to prevent iron deficiency.

During their early school years, children will acquire the knowledge and skills that will be vital to their future success in school and in life. Proper nutrition, including adequate iron intake, is essential for your child to grow and learn. However, A low-iron diet, limited access to healthy food, or medical conditions that affect iron status can put children at risk to develop iron deficiency, which can have immediate and long-term effects on your child&squo;s learning and development. It is estimated that 1.2 million school-aged children in America are iron deficient.

The first years of an infant's life are filled with tremendous growth and development. Your baby will change more during his first two years than at any other time. Because of this amazing growth, children less than two years old, particularly those aged 9-18 months are at the highest risk of any age group for developing iron deficiency anemia. Therefore, during this critical time, it is very important for your baby to get enough calories and nutrients, including iron.

Eating an iron-rich diet and taking a multivitamin with iron may be a useful way to prevent iron deficiency anemia, but it is usually not enough to treat anemia once it has developed. Your doctor will probably recommend that you take an iron supplement. The goal of this anemia treatment is to eliminate any symptoms you may be experiencing and boost your levels of stored iron and hemoglobin.

The postpartum period can be a wonderful yet challenging time for new moms experiencing profound physical and emotional changes after giving birth. Recovering from the birth, taking care of a new baby as well as herself requires a lot of energy.

Frequent tiredness is expected during the six or so weeks after childbirth, however, new moms should be concerned when their fatigue is disabling, lasts more than six weeks after delivery, stops them from performing normal activities, and worries family members. If these symptoms are present, the new mother may have what’s called postpartum anemia. It is most likely caused by iron deficiency.

Vitamins are the nutrients that your body needs to grow, develop and work properly. When it comes to vitamins, each one has a special role to play. For example, folic acid is necessary for the formation of both red and white blood cells. Without enough of some vitamins your blood can become low on red blood cells; a condition called vitamin deficiency anemia.

During pregnancy, a woman’s body undergoes many changes in order to provide for the needs of her growing baby. Some of these physical changes are very obvious, but changes in the mother’s blood, although less obvious, are also very important. In preparing for pregnancy, expecting mothers should discuss changes like these with their doctor to avoid developing anemia during their pregnancy.

The vast majority of professional and serious recreational athletes are in excellent health, combining regular rigorous exercise with good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. However, even the healthiest athletes, may be at risk for iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia.

Overview of anemia’s role in blood donation and the implications for the at-risk and deferred donors.

Part one in our three part series Women & Anemia focuses on iron deficiency anemia associated with heavy menstrual bleeding. Also known as menorrhagia, heavy menstrual bleeding is one common cause of iron deficiency anemia, which affects nearly 2 million women.

Anemia is a common condition in people over age 65, affecting more than 3 million people in the United States.1 Anemia is considered by many to be a relatively harmless and a normal part of the aging process. In fact, anemia is neither normal nor harmless and if left untreated can have far reaching effects on your health, welfare and independence.

Good nutrition is one of the keys to a healthy lifestyle. For people suffering from anemia, a healthy and nutritious diet becomes even more important. Many kinds of anemia, especially those caused by deficiencies of iron or vitamins, may be prevented from recurring by eating a diet rich in those nutrients.

Anemia is a condition of lower than normal levels of healthy red blood cells and their oxygen carrying component called hemoglobin. Hemoglobin in red blood cells carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. People with anemia, therefore, do not get enough oxygen delivered to the important tissues of the body. This results in many symptoms such as tiredness and weakness, and is why prolonged anemia can cause damage to the heart and other organs.