Anemia - a condition characterized by low levels of hemoglobin and red blood cells. There are several types of anemia, each of which has its reasons. Anemia can be temporary or chronic, and proceed in various ways, from mild to severe.

Symptoms

Symptoms and signs of anemia may vary depending on the cause, but it is most often accompanied by symptoms:

• Fatigue, lethargy
• Pale
• Fast and / or irregular heartbeat
• Chest pain
• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Problems with thinking
• Cold hands and feet
• Headache

Usually anemia occurs initially very mild and hardly noticeable. However, as the disease progresses the patient's condition may worsen.

Consult your doctor if you often feel tired for no apparent reason, since anemia may be a sign of serious illness.

Causes

Lack of red blood cells in the blood can be, if the body does not produce red blood cells in sufficient amounts, resulting in a large blood loss, or if the organism itself destroys red blood cells.

The red blood cells contain hemoglobin - iron-rich protein in red, by which red blood cells are supplying oxygen to the various tissues of the body. It also transports the carbon dioxide to the lungs, whereupon it is excreted.

Red blood cells are constantly produced in the bone marrow, located in cavities of large bones. To produce hemoglobin and red blood cells, the body needs iron, vitamin B12, folic acid Folic acid - the value is hard to overestimate   and many other nutrients.

The most common causes of anemia:

• Iron deficiency. If the organism is lacking in iron, bone marrow can not produce a sufficient quantity of hemoglobin and red blood cells, resulting in anemia.
• Vitamin deficiency also can cause anemia, even when a sufficient intake of iron. Organism some people can not extract vitamins from food in sufficient quantities, and this also causes anemia, where it can not cope with only by changing the diet.
• Chronic diseases. Certain chronic diseases such as cancer, HIV and AIDS, rheumatoid arthritis Arthritis - a variety of forms and complications Crohn's disease can disrupt the production of red blood cells.
• Aplastic anemia - a rare, life-threatening condition in which the production of red blood cells and hemoglobin is broken due to an infection, medication or certain autoimmune diseases.
• Diseases of the bone marrow. Various diseases, such as leukemia and myelodysplasia can cause anemia, since they affect the bone marrow. Other types of cancer, such as multiple myeloma, myeloproliferative disorders and lymphoma, less often, but can also become a cause of anemia.
• Hemolytic anemia. Violations related to this group, develop when red blood cells are destroyed faster than the bone marrow time to produce them. Some blood diseases may accelerate the destruction of red blood cells. Hemolytic anemia can be hereditary and develop at an early age; however, it can manifest itself throughout life.
• Sickle-cell anemia. This innate and sometimes dangerous form of anemia is caused by a defective form of hemoglobin that causes red blood cells to make them not peculiar form of a sickle or crescent. These abnormal erythrocytes live less than healthy cells and because of this level of red blood cells is reduced.

Risk factors

Factors that increase the risk of anemia:

• Malnutrition. As mentioned above, an anemia develops as a result of lack in the diet of certain nutrients.
• Disorders of the bowel can impair the absorption of nutrients. These disorders include, for example, celiac disease Celiac disease - not quite intestinal pathology   and Crohn's disease; removing portions of the small intestine is surgically can have the same effect.
• Menstruation. As a rule, women before menopause, the risk of developing anemia is higher than in men.
• Pregnancy is associated with increased risk of anemia due to the increased volume of blood in the body and because of the fact that iron is now necessary not only the woman but also her unborn child.

Other factors, such as drug therapy, exposure to chemicals and stress How to beat stress? Create an oasis Also increase the risk of anemia.

Hemoglobin - a protein that is found in red blood cells (erythrocytes). He picks up oxygen from the lungs and delivers it to the peripheral tissues to maintain the viability of the cells and the entire organism. Hemoglobin was opened in 1840, and just over 100 years later, in 1959, scientists were able to determine its molecular structure.

Hemoglobin is composed of alpha and beta chains - both required for normal oxygen transport. Before the birth of a person is not a beta-chain, but there is a gamma chain, which has only the fetus.

As hemoglobin is formed

Like all proteins, the program is given by the creation of hemoglobin DNA. The normal person has four genes for proteins that form the alpha chain, two - for protein beta chain and another two - for proteins gamma chain. Although a different number of genes, the number of alpha chains and beta chains of hemoglobin molecules in the same way. Protein chains are joined during the formation of new red blood cells, and do not separate during the life of an erythrocyte.

Hemoglobin is the same for all people, regardless of blood group and Rh factor and the genes that encodes the structure of hemoglobin, identical worldwide. In some cases, however, mutations occur; People can transmit those genes to their children. In most cases, the mutations associated with the development of hemoglobin, are not a problem, but sometimes they lead to disorders such as sickle cell anemia Anemia - when you do not have enough blood , Thalassemia, and others.

Abnormal hemoglobin

Although mutations in the genes responsible for the production of hemoglobin, are rare, there are several hundred types of abnormal hemoglobin - is the result of changes in the genes that have occurred over millions of years. The majority of these abnormal hemoglobin species functioning properly and can be detected only by special tests. Some types of abnormalities related to the formation of hemoglobin, can lead to serious violations.

Sometimes, gene mutations lead to the fact that the body can not produce hemoglobin in sufficient quantities. Usually such changes affect only one set of genes - the genes for the alpha chain or the beta chain. For example, if the mutation affects one of the genes responsible for the production of the proteins beta-chain of the component of the hemoglobin molecule will produce less than required. Proteins alpha chain thus produced will continue as usual. The imbalance between the amount of protein alpha chain and a beta chain leads to a violation, called thalassemia. This is just one of the disorders associated with disturbances in the production of hemoglobin.

The formation and decay of hemoglobin

The biosynthesis of hemoglobin takes place in the form of young red blood cells, which penetrate the iron atoms are included in the hemoglobin. Globin formed from amino acids, i.e. by conventional protein synthesis. Breakdown of hemoglobin in red blood cells begins completing its life cycle. The resulting collapse of the derivative called verdoglobinom and has a green color. It is very unstable and breaks down easily. Heme is divided into cells of the liver, bone marrow and spleen with the formation of bile pigments, is cleaved with the iron very quickly goes back to the red blood cells to form new molecules of heme.

The functional properties of hemoglobin

The main biological role of hemoglobin - participate in gas exchange between the organism and the environment. Hemoglobin provides oxygen carrying blood from the lungs to the tissues and transport of carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs. However, the affinity of hemoglobin for carbon monoxide three hundred times higher than that of oxygen, which results in high toxicity of carbon monoxide. Thus, when the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air, equal to 0, 1%, more than half of hemoglobin not bound with oxygen and carbon monoxide from the gas. Thus the formation of carboxyhemoglobin, incapable of carrying oxygen.

Another important function of hemoglobin is to maintain the acid-alkaline balance in the body.

Changing the content of hemoglobin in the blood

With a lack of hemoglobin in red blood cells is disturbed metabolism Improves metabolism and losing weight without dieting   cells in tissues. Low hemoglobin happens with iron deficiency anemia, which often are the result of chronic blood loss (eg, in the menstrual cycle, often accompanied by bleeding) or malnutrition, especially if the food is not always enough animal protein.

High hemoglobin may be a variant of the norm, and a sign of the disease. For example, the residents of mountainous areas observed a compensatory increase in hemoglobin Increased hemoglobin - when necessary bloodletting   in the blood due to insufficient oxygen in the air. At the same time, lack of certain vitamins B B vitamins: the body useful helpers   It leads to changes in the blood with a high content of hemoglobin and decrease the number of red blood cells - malignant anemia. In certain cardiovascular or pulmonary diseases may also increase the amount of hemoglobin (red blood cells but the number is not changed) due to the fact that the blood circulation and tissue loses oxygen.

Hemoglobin - is certainly one of the most important indicators of the health of the person and if the rate is changed, you should seek medical advice.

Galina Romanenko