What Is Anemia?
Anemia is when the number of red blood cells in the body gets too low. Red blood cells carry hemoglobin (pronounced: HEE-muh-glow-bin), a protein that carries oxygen throughout the body. Without enough of them, oxygen doesn't get to the body's organs. Without enough oxygen, the organs can't work normally.
There are many different kinds of anemia, so treatments vary.
What Are the Different Kinds of Anemia?
The types of anemia are based on what causes them. They include:
- Anemias from when red blood cells get broken down too fast, called hemolytic anemias. They include:
- autoimmune hemolytic anemia: when the body's immune system destroys its own red blood cells
- inherited hemolytic anemias: these include sickle cell disease, thalassemia, G6PD deficiency, and hereditary spherocytosis
- Anemia from bleeding. This can happen due to bleeding from an injury, heavy menstrual periods, the gastrointestinal tract, or another medical problem.
- Anemia from red blood cells being made too slowly, such as:
- aplastic anemia: when the body stops making red blood cells from an infection, illness, or other cause