Types of Anemia

Clinical LaboratoryAyman AR,

Year 3, group 4, 60302
 Overview

• Anemia is a condition in which you lack

enough healthy red blood cells to carry
adequate oxygen to your body's tissues.
Having anemia can make you feel tired and
weak.
• Treatments for anemia range from taking
supplements to undergoing medical
procedures. You might be able to prevent some
types of anemia by eating a healthy, varied
diet.
Types of Anemia
1. Aplastic Anaemia
• Aplastic anemia is a condition that occurs when your body stops producing enough
new blood cells. The condition leaves you fatigued and more prone to infections and
uncontrolled bleeding.
• Treatment for aplastic anemia might include medications, blood transfusions or a stem
cell transplant, also known as a bone marrow transplant.
• aplastic anemia can develop at any age. It can occur suddenly, or it can come on
slowly and worsen over time. 
• There's no prevention for most cases of aplastic anemia. Avoiding exposure to
insecticides, herbicides, organic solvents, paint removers and other toxic chemicals
might lower your risk of the disease.
Causes of Aplastic anemia
stem cells are damaged. As a result, the bone marrow is either empty (aplastic) or
contains few blood cells (hypoplastic).
• Radiation and chemotherapy treatments. While these cancer-fighting therapies kill
cancer cells, they can also damage healthy cells, including stem cells in bone marrow.
Aplastic anemia can be a temporary side effect of these treatments.
• Exposure to toxic chemicals. Toxic chemicals, such as some used in pesticides and
insecticides, and benzene are an ingredient in gasoline, that have been linked to
aplastic anemia.
• Use of certain drugs. Some medications, such as those used to treat rheumatoid
arthritis and some antibiotics, can cause aplastic anemia.
• Autoimmune disorders. 
• A viral infection. Viruses that have been linked to aplastic anemia include hepatitis,
Epstein-Barr, cytomegalovirus, parvovirus B19 and HIV.
Symptoms of aplastic anemia
Aplastic anemia can have no
symptoms. When present, signs
and symptoms can include:
•

• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Rapid or irregular heart rate
• Pale skin
 Iron Deficiency Anemia
• Iron deficiency anemia is a common type of anemia — a condition in which blood
lacks adequate healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the body's
tissues.
• As the name implies, iron deficiency anemia is due to insufficient iron. Without
enough iron, your body can't produce enough of a substance in red blood cells that
enables them to carry oxygen (hemoglobin)..
• You can usually correct iron deficiency anemia with iron supplementation. Sometimes
additional tests or treatments for iron deficiency anemia are necessary,
• You can reduce your risk of iron deficiency anemia by choosing iron-rich foods.
Causes
Causes of iron deficiency anemia include:
• Blood loss. Women with heavy periods are at risk of iron deficiency anemia
because they lose blood during menstruation. Slow, chronic blood loss within the
body — such as from a peptic ulcer, a hiatal hernia, a colon polyp or colorectal
cancer — can cause iron deficiency anemia.
• A lack of iron in your diet. iron-rich foods include meat, eggs, leafy green
vegetables and iron-fortified foods. For proper growth and development, infants
and children need iron from their diets, too.
• An inability to absorb iron. Iron from food is absorbed into your bloodstream in
your small intestine. An intestinal disorder, such as celiac disease, which affects
your intestine's ability to absorb nutrients from digested food, can lead to iron
deficiency anemia.
• Pregnancy. Without iron supplementation, iron deficiency anemia occurs in many
Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited red blood cell disorder in which there aren't enough
healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body.
Normally, the flexible, round red blood cells move easily through blood vessels. In sickle
cell anemia, the red blood are shaped like sickles or crescent moons. These rigid, sticky
cells can get stuck in small blood vessels, which can slow or block blood flow and
oxygen to parts of the body.
There's no cure for most people with sickle cell anemia. But treatments can relieve pain
and help prevent complications associated with the disease.
Causes
Sickle cell anemia is caused by a mutation in the gene that tells your body to make the
iron-rich compound that makes blood red and enables red blood cells to carry oxygen
from your lungs throughout your body (hemoglobin). In sickle cell anemia, the abnormal
hemoglobin causes red blood cells to become rigid, sticky and misshapen.
Both mother and father must pass the defective form of the gene for a child to be
affected. as they are a recessive gene
Symptoms
• Anemia. Sickle cells break apart easily and die, leaving you with too few red blood
cells. Red blood cells usually live for about 120 days before they need to be replaced.
But sickle cells usually die in 10 to 20 days, leaving a shortage of red blood cells
(anemia).Without enough red blood cells, your body can't get enough oxygen, causing
fatigue.
• Episodes of pain. Periodic episodes of pain, called pain crises, are a major symptom
of sickle cell anemia. Pain develops when sickle-shaped red blood cells block blood
flow through tiny blood vessels to your chest, abdomen and joints. Pain can also
occur in your bones. The pain varies in intensity and can last for a few hours to a few
weeks..Some adolescents and adults with sickle cell anemia also have chronic pain,
which can result from bone and joint damage, ulcers, and other causes.
• Swelling of hands and feet. 
• Frequent infections. Sickle cells can damage your spleen, leaving you more
vulnerable to infections.
Thalassemia
Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that causes your body to have less
hemoglobin than normal. Hemoglobin enables red blood cells to carry oxygen.
Thalassemia can cause anemia, leaving you fatigued.
mild thalassemia do not require treatment But more severe forms might require regular
blood transfusions, steps to cope with fatigue, such as choosing a healthy diet and
exercising regularly.
Some babies show signs and symptoms of thalassemia at birth; others develop them
during the first two years of life
Causes
Thalassemia is caused by mutations in the DNA of cells that make hemoglobin — the
substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout your body. The mutations
associated with thalassemia are passed from parents to children.
Hemoglobin molecules are made of chains called alpha and beta chains that can be
affected by mutations. In thalassemia, the production of either the alpha or beta chains
are reduced, resulting in either alpha-thalassemia or beta-thalassemia.
In alpha-thalassemia, the severity of thalassemia you have depends on the number of
gene mutations you inherit from your parents. The more mutated genes, the more severe
your thalassemia.
In beta-thalassemia, the severity of thalassemia you have depends on which part of the
hemoglobin molecule is affected.
Alpha thalassemia
Four genes are involved in making the alpha hemoglobin chain. You get two from each
of your parents. If you inherit:
• One mutated gene, you'll have no signs or symptoms of thalassemia. But you are a
carrier of the disease and can pass it on to your children.
• Two mutated genes, your thalassemia signs and symptoms will be mild. This
condition might be called alpha-thalassemia trait.
• Three mutated genes, your signs and symptoms will be moderate to severe.
Inheriting four mutated genes is rare and usually results in stillbirth. Babies born with
this condition often die shortly after birth or require lifelong transfusion therapy. In rare
cases, a child born with this condition can be treated with transfusions and a stem cell
transplant.
 Beta thalassemia
Two genes are involved in making the beta hemoglobin chain. You get one from each of
your parents. If you inherit:
• One mutated gene, you'll have mild signs and symptoms. This condition is called
thalassemia minor or beta-thalassemia.
• Two mutated genes, your signs and symptoms will be moderate to severe. This
condition is called thalassemia major, or Cooley anemia.Babies born with two
defective beta hemoglobin genes usually are healthy at birth but develop signs and
symptoms within the first two years of life. A milder form, called thalassemia
intermedia, also can result from two mutated genes
Symptoms
There are several types of thalassemia. The signs and symptoms you have depend on the
type and severity of your condition.
Thalassemia signs and symptoms can include:
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Pale or yellowish skin
• Facial bone deformities
• Slow growth
• Abdominal swelling
•