Anemia of chronic disease happens when you have an autoimmune disease or other illness lasts longer than three months and that causes inflammation. Chronic inflammation can affect your body's ability to use iron needed to make enough red blood cells.
With treatment, most people recover from iron-deficiency anemia in 2 to 3 months. You may need to take iron supplements for several months longer, though, to build up your reserves of iron.
Severe iron deficiency anaemia may increase your risk of developing complications that affect the heart or lungs, such as an abnormally fast heartbeat (tachycardia) or heart failure, where your heart is unable to pump enough blood around your body at the right pressure.
In other cases, the anaemia may be permanent and lifelong treatment is needed. No matter what the cause, it is important to have a doctor regularly monitor your blood to make sure your red blood cell and haemoglobin levels are adequate and to adjust treatment if required.
Diseases that cause ongoing inflammation can keep the body from making enough red blood cells. Examples are cancer, HIV/AIDS, rheumatoid arthritis, kidney disease and Crohn's disease. Aplastic anemia. This rare, life-threatening anemia occurs when the body doesn't make enough new blood cells.
“Anemia cannot cause leukemia but could be a sign of bone marrow that's not producing enough red blood cells,” Dr. Wetmore explained. “This requires an investigation (lab tests) into the cause of low numbers of red blood cells.”
If you have anemia, your body does not get enough oxygen-rich blood. The lack of oxygen can make you feel tired or weak. You may also have shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches, or an irregular heartbeat.
Call Your Doctor About Anemia If:
Persistent fatigue, breathlessness, rapid heart rate, pale skin, or any other symptoms of anemia; seek emergency care for any trouble breathing or change in your heart beat. Poor diet or inadequate dietary intake of vitamins and minerals.
Fatigue. Tiring easily, and waking up tired even after a good night's sleep, are common and potentially serious symptoms of anemia. This is due to reduced and compromised red blood cells that naturally cannot carry the required levels of oxygen to the organs – which, in turn, cannot function efficiently.
Severe iron-deficiency anemia may require a blood transfusion, iron injections, or intravenous (IV) iron therapy. Treatment may need to be done in a hospital.
If you suspect you might have an anemic disorder, check yourself for the following symptoms and call your doctor for further advice. A sudden lack of energy and chronic fatigue are warning signs that you might be lacking enough iron.
Other health conditions: Chronic (long-term) kidney disease, inflammation from an infection, cancer, or an Autoimmune disease can cause your body to make fewer red blood cells. Certain medicines or treatments such as chemotherapy for cancer can also raise your risk of anemia.
With low iron, your body cannot manufacture enough hemoglobin in red blood cells to allow them to transport oxygen. It causes fatigue and shortness of breath. The connection between low iron, body weight, and hemoglobin is apparent when low energy makes exercising and burning calories difficult, causing weight gain.
The cancers most closely associated with anemia are: Cancers that involve the bone marrow. Blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma interfere with or destroy the marrow's ability to make healthy blood cells. Other cancers that spread to the bone marrow can also cause anemia.
The causes of autoimmune hemolytic anemia are poorly understood. It may be a primary disorder or secondary to an underlying illness, such as Epstein-Barr Virus, lymphoma, lupus, immunodeficiency disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, or ulcerative colitis.
While anemia and leukemia are very different conditions, they share a core similarity: they both affect the blood. But leukemia is a cancer, which involves unchecked cell growth. In contrast, anemia involves a lack of red blood cells. That said, leukemia does remain a risk factor for anemia.
On the flip side, some individuals experience anxiety so severe that it may deplete pre-existing stores of essential vitamins and minerals, including iron and B12. This can lead to anemia and the worsening of symptoms.
If iron supplements don't increase your blood-iron levels, it's likely the anemia is due to a source of bleeding or an iron-absorption problem that your doctor will need to investigate and treat.
Left untreated, however, iron-deficiency anemia can make you feel tired and weak. You may notice pale skin and cold hands and feet. Iron-deficiency anemia can also cause you to feel dizzy or lightheaded. Occasionally, it can cause chest pain, a fast heartbeat and shortness of breath.
Red blood cells use haemoglobin to carry oxygen around your body. If you have anaemia, the tissues and organs in your body might not get enough oxygen. Anaemia symptoms can leave you feeling tired, weak and short of breath.