Anaemia is a medical condition in which the human body does not have sufficient healthy Red Blood Cells (RBCs) or haemoglobin to transfer oxygen to body tissues. Haemoglobin is a type of protein found in RBC. It transports oxygen from the lungs to other organs.
According to WHO, iron deficiency is the most prominent reason for anaemia. It is a serious global health concern and primarily affects menstruating adolescent girls and women, young children and pregnant and postpartum women. Deficiencies of vitamins B12, A and folate are also significant causes of anaemia.
Let us go through anaemia treatments in the following paragraphs.
Treatment of Anaemia
Anaemia treatment varies according to the types and causes of the condition. Doctors diagnose and decide the kind of treatment after patients’ evaluation.
- Treatment of iron deficiency anaemia involves incorporating a healthy diet and taking iron supplements with prescribed changes in food and living habits. If the reason for iron deficiency is blood loss, doctors diagnose to find the source or cause of bleeding and follow procedures to stop the blood loss. It might require surgery.
- Anaemia treatment due to vitamin deficiency includes dietary supplement intake to improve folic acid and vitamin B12 in our body. The purpose of this treatment is to boost nutrients in the diet.
- Some people might experience difficulties in absorbing vitamin B12 through dietary intake. Doctors prescribe vitamin B12 shots for those patients. The frequency of shots might be daily, once a month, for a temporary period or a lifetime.
- Anaemia can happen due to some chronic diseases as well. Anaemia treatment in such cases includes fixing the conditions causing the problem. If symptoms aggravate, doctors might conduct a blood transfusion or prescribe hormone (erythropoietin) shots.
- Treatment for anaemia associated with bone marrow ailments includes chemotherapy, medicines or bone marrow transplants.
- Aplastic anaemia treatment includes blood transfusions to increase RBC levels. It might also include a bone marrow transplant if the bone marrow is unable to produce healthy blood cells.
- Haemolytic anaemia treatment includes treating infections and stopping medicines that might be the reason for the disease. If the immune system is attacking RBC, medications to lower the immune system activity might be a part of the anaemia treatment.
- Treatment for sickle cell anaemia might involve pain relievers, oxygen and intravenous hydration with fluids to minimise complications with minimum pain. Blood transfusion, folic acid supplements and a cancer drug (hydroxyurea) might also be used to treat anaemia.
- Thalassemia in early stages is usually mild and requires basic treatment. Severe types of thalassemia might require folic acid supplements, a blood and bone marrow stem cell transplant, blood transfusion and spleen removal in rare cases.