Anemia

Many types of anemia exist. The most common type is iron-deficiency anemia, which is easy to treat with diet changes and iron supplements. Some forms of anemia – the type that develops during pregnancy, for example – is even considered normal, while other types may pose lifelong health problems. Each type of anemia results from one of these physiological conditions:

- The body cannot make enough hemoglobin
- The body makes hemoglobin, but the hemoglobin doesnt function properly
- The body does not make enough red blood cells
- The body breaks down red blood cells too rapidly

Red Blood Cells
Hemoglobin is the substance that gives red blood cells their red color. Many parts of your body contribute efforts in making red blood cells, but most of the red blood cell production is done in the bone marrow, which is the soft tissue in the center of bones.
Healthy red blood cells last for three to four months and then they will be removed by the body. Erythropoietin is a hormone that signals your bone marrow to make more red blood cells; this hormone is made in your kidneys.
Possible causes of anemia include:
- Certain medications
- Chronic diseases such as cancer, ulcerative colitis, or rheumatoid arthritis
- Genetics: Some forms of anemia, such as thalassemia, can be inherited
- Kidney failure
- Blood loss (for example, from heavy menstrual periods or stomach ulcers)
- Poor diet
- Pregnancy
- Problems with bone marrow such as lymphoma, leukemia, or multiple myeloma
- Problems with the immune system that cause destruction of blood cells (hemolytic anemia)
- Surgery to the stomach or intestines that reduces the absorption of iron, vitamin B12, or folic acid
- Too little thyroid hormone (underactive thyroid, or hypothyroidism)
- Testosterone deficiency

Over 400 types of anemia exist, and they are divided into three groups:
- Anemia caused by blood loss
- Anemia caused by decreased or faulty red blood cell production
- Anemia caused by destruction of red blood cells