Medical Tips 3: Anemia and some Related Illnesses

I decided to further expand on this topic because of a request from @heartbeat1515 so I hope you enjoy this!

What is Anemia?

Anemia can be defined in different ways, all having slightly different ideologies but all pointing towards the same direction in the end. Some say it's the lack of iron in the blood, others say it's the lack of blood itself. There's just one definition that can be universally accepted.

Anemia is the lack of Haemoglobin, or Hb, in the blood, caused by either too few Red Blood Cells (which possess the Hb) or a below-normal volume of Hb in the cells. So let's look at a few types of anemia.

Hemoglobin is the pigment formed from iron extracted from the food in the intestines. It has a high affinity for oxygen, and so it bonds reversibly with oxygen to transport it around the body.

BLOOD LOSS ANEMIA: This is the type that ensues after a severe injury. Normally, after sudden, rapid blood loss, the fluid portion of the plasma is replaced within 1-3 days, and the Red Blood Cell concentration within 3 - 6 weeks, if a second hemorrhage doesn't occur, that is.

However, in a chronic blood loss scenario, the individual is unable to absorb as much iron from the food in the intestines to form Hb as rapidly as it is lost, and so, the Red Blood Cells produced ae not only smaller, but their oxygen-carrying capacity is significantly reduced.

INCREASED RATE OF DESTRUCTION: These include hereditary disorders which affect the Hb making process such as enzyme deficiency (G6PD deficiency), disorders of Hb synthesis like Thalassemia.

Also, we have infections as Malaria, where the parasite attacks and massively destroys the Red Blood Cells in the body.

Then there's chemical poisoning, for example, people working in industries or people who have their generator sets working inside their homes are at risk of Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Carbon Monoxide binds irreversibly to Hb, thus usurping Oxygen.

IMPAIRED RBC FORMATION: Kidney failure comes into play here. How? Erythropoietin, a hormone that regulates the production of Red Blood Cells in changing altitudes and climates, is produced in the kidney. No kidney, no erythropoietin. No erythro-thingy, low RBCs formed.

Also, multiple destructive mechanisms like HIV/AIDS can come into play here.

APLASTIC ANEMIA: This occurs due to bone marrow dysfunction. I didn't mention this, but Red Blood Cells are formed in the bone marrow of some bones in the body like the backbone, sternum, and ribs (when you've passed 5 years of age).

If the bone marrow is destroyed, as can happen due to Multiple Myelomas (Bone Marrow Cancers), Leukemia, Lymphomas, excessive exposure to radiation, and autoimmune disorders, the RBC count drops and anemia can set in.

(In an autoimmune disorder, the body's immune system basically runs mad and forgets who is friend or foe. It can begin to attack some of the body's good, normal cells.)

Although there's more, it's far too bulky for me to bother you all with, so I'll end it with Sickle Cell Anemia.

It's no longer the problem in most parts of the world, but it is in some African countries, where some people do not carry out a blood Genotype Test to ascertain their genotypes.

When two people of the AS genotype have children, some of those kids will likely carry both S genes, and thus, become sicklers. People with Sickle Cell Anemia are known as sicklers.

The most popular genotypes are AA, AS and SS; although there's AC - I've not really learned about it in school.

Just as a tip, I should add this

AA X AA = VERY OKAY

AA X AS = GOOD TO GO

AA X SS = STILL GOOD BUT ALL KIDS WILL BE AS

AS X AS = BAD, 25% chance of getting a sickler child

AS X SS = TERRIBLE, 75% chance of getting sickler children.

SS X SS = THE WORST. There is no remedy or hope, all the kids from this union will be sicklers, except if there is a special miracle.

Head to this link to read more about this.

So how bad is Sickle Cell Anemia?

Well, the Hb is different first of all. It's called Hemoglobin S, as there is a disorder somewhere in the chain that makes up the Hb molecule. So. when the person is exposed to low oxygen levels, the Hemoglobin precipitates to form a long crystal inside the Red Blood Cell.

These crystals stretch the Red Blood Cells, thus giving it the appearance of a sickle rather than the biconcave disk shape red blood cells usually have.

The sharp crystals can also damage the cell membrane of the RBC and rupture it, causing severe anemia.

But then again, there's this: Remember what I said in the first post about Positive Feedback and Vicious Cycles? Yeah, it applies here too, in a serious condition called the Sickle Cell Crisis, where Low Oxygen causes sickling, which destroys Red Blood Cells which further leads to even lower oxygen and more sickling and so on.

So essentially, there's a snowball effect, and this keeps on happening until, well, death in hours if the situation is not remedied asap. Try as much as you can to water it down, the parent of a sickler will always have their hearts in their mouths for as long as they care about the life of that child.

Sickle-cell Anemia can be treated temporarily with drugs that relieve the symptoms. However, a stem-cell transplant for children and some teenagers can cure the disease, but then, it will come at a hefty price. A lot heftier than a year's earning on read.cash, all things being equal 😂😂

So, finally, I have two tips for you guys.

1. This one is for the ladies. The body contains 4 to 5g of iron, of which 65%(2.6) to 3.25) is stored as Hb. In a day, we excrete 1.2 mg of iron normally, but woman experiencing their menses excrete over 220mg per pint of blood over the 4 - 6 day period. Long story made short, they're losing more than normal, which is why some women in their menses might look a tad pale. Endeavor to eat baked potatoes, Cereals, Whole Grain Bread, Vitamin C rich foods, Lean red meat, chicken, vegetables, and so on to replenish as you're losing ❤💖.

2. In answer to @heartbeat1515's question, well, anemia may cause the blood viscosity to drop from 3 to 1.5, making the blood a lot more liquid. This is dangerous because it makes it easier for backflow to occur.

What's Backflow?

The viscosity of blood provides resistance, so blood cannot flow back into the heart again. With reduced viscosity, the blood can flow into smaller blood vessels, through the tissues and right back into the heart, generating more workload on the poor heart.

This means that less oxygen will be going where it is needed, causing vessels to dilate so that more blood can move freely to where it is needed. But there's the catch: the blood begins to flow backward even more easily now that the road is so clear for it so that more work is placed on the heart.

HOWEVER, because the heart is working twice as hard to pump more blood out, this doesn't really affect things as soon the normal oxygen distribution is maintained.

The issue here is that once the anemic person starts performing strenuous activities like exercise, tissue demand for Oxygen is increased, and that puts too much strain on an already stressed-out heart, which can lead to Cardiac Failure.

I hope you found this informative. Thanks!

Actually, there's one more thing I found disturbing

Grammarly, I don't know where you saw that joy from.