2. Anemia caused by decreased or faulty red blood cell production
Such forms of anemia can happen due to the fact that your body, for some reason, does not produce enough hemoglobin, or that this protein cannot effectively “hook on” oxygen and transport it to organs and tissues.
This includes the following forms:
Iron-deficiency anemia is the most common form. You may get this one when your body doesn`t receive enough iron as mineral iron plays a crucial role in hemoglobin production.
Vitamin-deficiency anemia. In addition to iron, the production of red blood cells is impossible without vitamin B12 and folate. If your diet is low in foods that are rich in these substances, you are more likely to get anemia. Some medications, alcohol abuse, and certain intestinal diseases can also lead to vitamin deficiency.
Anemia caused by bone marrow and stem cell problems. Various ailments, such as leukemia or myelofibrosis, may keep your body from producing enough red blood cells, which is why it critically lacks them. If there aren’t enough stem cells, if they don’t work right, or if they’re replaced by other cells such as cancer cells, you might get anemia. In addition, the bone marrow can be damaged by radiation, chemotherapy, certain drugs, or lead poisoning.
Sickle cell anemia. This is a hereditary disease in which red blood cells, normally round, become crescent-shaped. In this state, they break down very quickly, which leads to a permanent lack of oxygen in the body. The crescent-shaped red blood cells can also get stuck in tiny blood vessels and cause pain.
Anemia associated with other chronic conditions. This form of anemia occurs when your body does not produce enough hormones. Hormone deficiency can be caused by aging, advanced kidney disease, hypothyroidism, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and various types of cancer.
3. Anemia caused by destruction of red blood cells
In such cases, we are talking about the fact that newly formed and healthy red blood cells, for some reason, can`t handle traveling through your body for their usual 120 days. Instead, they begin to actively collapse. This condition is called hemolytic anemia. The destruction of erythrocytes can be caused by hereditary genetic factors, autoimmune diseases, snake or spider venom that has entered the body, certain drugs, and so on.
