What Is Anemia?
Anemia can be defined as the low level of healthy red blood cells in the circulatory system. This is when there are no enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to the body's organs. The red blood cells carry oxygen through out the body (oxygenated blood), the oxygen powers the cells and gives it life and energy. Shortage or not having enough red blood cells, the body does not get the energy and nutrients it needs to function. The duration of anemia can be short term, and mild ,while some other types can last long or lifetime anemia, especially if left untreated. The condition may be life threatening. According to W.H.O (world health organisation), anemia is very common and affecting an estimated one third 1/3 of population of the world. Iron deficiency is the most common type of anemia, 80% of the people globally don't have enough iron and 30% have anemia due to prolong iron deficiency.
What Are The Types Of Anemia?
- Nutritional anemia.
- Inherited anemia.
- Abnormal red blood cells.
Nutritional anemia:
- Pernicious anemia: this type of nutritional anemia is caused by the deficiency of vitamin B12. The condition is an autoimmune condition that prevents the absorption of vitamin B12.
- Megaloblastic anemia: this type of anemia also occurs due to lack of vitamin B9 (folate) and B12. Megaloblastic anemia is referred to as vitamin deficiency anemia.
- Iron deficiency anemia: this type of anemia is when the baby is deficient of iron and iron is responsible for the making of hemoglobin (the substance in the red blood cells, that enables them to carry oxygen through out the body system).
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) deficiency: anemia can happen if there is low consumption of vitamin C, after the intake of iron rich foods, vitamin C play's a very important roles in the proper absorption of iron.
Inherited anemia:
- Fanconi anemia: this type of anemia is a rare blood disorders. Anemia is one of the signs of fanconi anemia.
- Sickle cell anemia: this is a type of condition that changes the shape of the red blood cells from round flexible discs into stiff and sticky sickle cells they block and prevents blood flow.
- Certain disease: disease such as cancer, HIV/AIDs, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and others such as acute oil r chronic inflammatory disease, pregnancy, lactating, accident.
Abnormal red blood cells anemia:
- Hemolytic anemia: this is when the red blood cells break down or die too fast (faster) than normal or usual.
- Sideroblastic anemia: the present of too much iron in the system and no enough red blood cells.
- Aplastic anemia: this type of anemia is when the stem cells in the bone marrow don't make or produce red blood cells as required.
- Macrocytic anemia: when the bone marrow produces unusual large red blood cells.
- Autoimmune hemolytic anemia: this type of anemia occurs when the immune system attacks and destroy the red blood cells.
- Microcytic anemia: this type of anemia is opposite to macrocytic anemia when the red blood cells don't have enough hemoglobin, do they appear smaller than usual.
- Normocytic anemia: this is when there are fewer red blood cells than usual and the red blood cells don't have the normal amount of hemoglobin.
What Are The Symptoms Of Anemia?
Sometimes symptoms and signs are not shown in mild anemia, but as the problems of short of blood increase then the following symptoms may follow:
- Loss of appetite.
- Irritability.
- Headache, fatigue, dizziness.
- Feeling too weak or tired (usual).
- Finding it difficult to concentrate or think.
- Numbness and tingling of hands 🖐️ and feets 🦶.
If anemia is left untreated the symptoms get worse which may include:
- Brittle nails.
- Blue colour of the white part of the eyes.
- Pale skin colour.
- Shortness of breath with mild activity or even while not active (at rest).
- Mouth ulcer
- the tongue 👅 becomes inflamed or sore.
- Desire to eat ice or things that are not food (pica syndrome).
- Increase in abnormal menstrual.
- Men lost their sexual desire.
Severe anemia can cause insufficient level of oxygen supply to some vital organs in the body such as the heart, kidney, lungs and liver which may leads to failure of such organs, if anemia is severe then the doctors will play their roles to treat while dietitians and nutritionist will use the locally available foods to manage it
The treatment by doctors include:
- Blood transfusion.
- Give medicine that suppress the immune system (corticosteroids).
- Give supplements of iron, vitamin B9 (folate) folic acid, and other minerals and vitamins needed for proper blood formation.
- Give medicine that assist the bone marrow to make more blood cells (cryothropoietin).
Causes Of Anemia:
- There are many causes of anemia which includes:
- Iron deficiency.
- Vitamin B12 deficiency.
- Vitamin B9 (folic acid and folate) deficiency.
- Immune system problems.
- Sickle cell.
- Long term chronic disease such as chronic kidney, cancer, ulcer, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
- Blood loss (child birth, accident, menstruations).
- Lack of red blood cells production.
- Rapid red blood cells destruction.
- Problem with the gastrointestinal tract (G.I.T).
- Pregnancy and lactations.
Dietary Management For Anemia.
Diet is the most caused of anemia, eating overall healthy diet rich in vegetables, seeds, nuts, meat, fish, seafood, legumes and fruits rich in vitamin C. These can help to get the iron needed, folate needed and vitamin C to meat up the recommended intake for managing anemia of all Types.
Food Allowed To Manage Anemia.
The foods allowed to manage anemia are foods that are rich in iron, such as:
- Meat and meat products 🥩 🍖 ( liver).
- Fish 🐟 and other sea foods.
- Legumes such as beans, soyabeans, Bambara nuts, lentils, peas.
- Dark green leafy vegetables such as baobab leaves, pumpkins Leaves, spinach ☘️, amaranthus, water leaves, bitter leaves, moringa leaves, cocoyam leaves, okra leaves, cassava Leaves, eggs 🥚, dried fruits.
- Vitamin C rich fruits such as orange 🍊, baobab fruit pulp, water melon 🍉, banana 🍌, apples 🍏, veggies such as tomatoes 🍅, pepper 🌶️.
- Foods fortified with iron such as cereals, bread 🍞, orange juice, pastas.
- Fermented and sprouted grain and legumes, they break down anti nutrients compound that may affect iron absorption negatively.
Food Disallowed In Dietary Management Of Anemia.
- Tea and coffee.
- Foods containing tannins (an anti nutrients to iron absorption) such as grapes, corn 🌽 and sorghum.
- Foods containing phylates or phytic acids (anti nutrients) such as foods as brown rice and whole grain wheat products.
- Oxalic acid or oxalate containing foods such as peanut 🥜, spinach ☘️, chocolate 🍫. Oxalate is an anti nutrients to iron.
- Milk and milk products.
In fact a diet plan for iron deficiency anemia must include heme and non heme rich iron foods such as meat, poultry, seafood, iron-rich vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds with iron absorption.
What are the strategies to maximize iron intake?
Just retain low intake of tea and coffee along with meals.
Eat iron rich foods along side vitamin C rich foods for proper absorption.
Cook with an iron skillet.
Cook food for a short period of time.
Note: menu plan for the dietary management of iron should be under the supervision of a dietitian and a doctor, the doctor may recommend a supplement of iron while dietitians will quantify the foods for adequate intake and to meet up the recommended intake of iron. Dietitians and nutritionist can help make sure all the necessary vitamins and minerals needed are gotten.
Tags:
Disease and Disorders