Symptom: Anemia

Introduction: Anemia

Anemia: Reduced red blood cells in the blood. See free access online books about Anemia below. See detailed information below for a list of 433 causes of Anemia, including diseases and drug side effect causes.

» Review Causes of Anemia: full list

Causes of Anemia:

The following medical conditions are some of the possible causes of Anemia. There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor about your symptoms.

• Milk allergy (type of Food allergies)
• Rh problems

See full list of 433 causes of Anemia

» Review Causes of Anemia: full list

Causes of Types of Anemia:

Review the causes of these more specific types of Anemia:

• Pernicious anemia (8 causes)
• Hemolytic anemia (109 causes)
• Red cell breakdown

More types of Anemia

Anemia: Multiple Symptom Checker

Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Anemia, as listed in our database. Visit the Multiple Symptoms Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.

Multiple Symptom Checker - Other Symptoms

• Anemia: Multiple Symptom Checker

Multiple Symptom Checker Combinations

• Anemia and Swelling symptoms (210 causes)
• Anemia and Nerve symptoms (202 causes)
• Anemia and Pain (201 causes)
• Anemia and Digestive symptoms (200 causes)
• Anemia and Sensations (190 causes)
• Anemia and Muscle weakness (185 causes)
• Anemia and Fatigue (172 causes)
• Anemia and Liver symptoms (171 causes)
• Anemia and Liver problems (169 causes)
• Anemia and Head symptoms (168 causes)
• Anemia and Body symptoms (166 causes)
• Anemia and Muscle symptoms (162 causes)
• Anemia and Weakness (161 causes)
• Anemia and Weight loss (160 causes)
• Anemia and Abdominal symptoms (158 causes)
• Anemia and Enlarged liver (153 causes)
• Anemia and Weight symptoms (153 causes)
• Anemia and Skin symptoms (153 causes)
• Anemia and Swollen spleen (152 causes)
• Anemia and Enlarged liver and spleen (146 causes)

See full list of 1380 Multiple Symptom Checker combinations related to Anemia

Home Diagnostic Testing and Anemia

Home medical tests possibly related to Anemia:

• Fatigue: Related Home Tests:
  • Home Anemia Tests
  • Home Thyroid Function Tests
  • Home Adrenal Function Tests
  • Home Calcium Deficiency Tests
  • Home HIV Tests
• Thyroid: Home Testing:
  • Home TSH Tests
  • Home Adrenal Function Tests
• Adrenal Gland Health: Home Testing:

Causes of Similar Symptoms to Anemia

Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Anemia:

• Low blood iron (22 causes)
• High blood iron (9 causes)
• Blood symptoms
• Fatigue (1283 causes)
• Weakness (2028 causes)

Diagnostic Guides for Anemia

Medical Books Excerpts Read excerpts from published book sections related to Anemia from the following published medical books for more detailed information about Anemia. Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Anemia

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Misdiagnosis and Anemia

Unnecessary hysterectomies due to undiagnosed bleeding disorder in women: The bleeding disorder called Von Willebrand's disease is quite common in women, but often fails to be correctly diagnosed. Women with the condition tend to...read more »

Anemia undiagnosed in pregnancy: The onset of anemia (low red blood cells) in pregnancy is sometimes overlooked, despite it being a well-known complication of pregnancy. The problem may be that the main symptom, i.e. fatigue, is also a typical...read more »

ADHD diagnosis overlooked hidden nutritional disorder: The book "A Dose of Sanity" reports on a case of a boy diagnosed with ADHD and receiving Ritalin. His symptoms included tiredness, irritability, poor growth, and eating dirt and unusual foods (a symptom...read more »

Cluster of diseases with difficult diagnosis issues: There is a well-known list of medical conditions that are all somewhat difficult to diagnose, and all can present in a variety of different severities. Diseases in this group include multiple...read more »

Rare type of breast cancer without a lump: There is a less common form of breast cancer called inflammatory breast cancer. Its symptoms can be an inflammation of the breast tissue, such as with a ...read more »

Pituitary conditions often undiagnosed cause of symptoms: There are a variety of symptoms that can be caused by a pituitary disorder (see symptoms of pituitary disorders). For example, fatigue, headache, weight gain, ...read more »

Vitamin B12 deficiency under-diagnosed: The condition of Vitamin B12 deficiency is a possible misdiagnosis of various conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (see symptoms of multiple sclerosis). See symptoms of Vitamin B12...read more »

Females with anemia could be Plummer Vinson syndrome: Plummer Vinson syndrome commonly occurs in women between the 4th-7th decade of age. Importance is given to the condition due to its...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Anemia

Diagnostic tests for Anemia:

Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Anemia. Some of these are listed below :

• Physical examination - looking for signs of anemia e.g. pallor of skin, nail beds and sclera of eyes, increased pulse rate, heart murmur and if severe swollen ankles and cardiac failure.
• Signs of jaundice - e.g. yellow skin , yellow sclera; may indicate hemolytic anemia, pernicious anemia , alcoholic cirrhosis.
• Looking for possible causes of anemia - e.g. signs of chronic liver failure , neurological signs suggesting possible pernicious anemia.
• Blood tests - Full blood count looking at size of red blood cells which helps diagnose type of.
• Anemia - e.g. if small size likely iron deficiency or thallasaemia ; if large cell size likely Vitamin B12 deficiency ,folate deficiency, drug toxicity; if normal cell size can be chronic disease , hemolysis, renal failure.

See full list of 14 diagnostic tests for Anemia

Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)

During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Anemia. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis. Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:

• Dietary history - e.g. including vegetarianism, lack of red meat, animal products and green leafy vegetables - may indicate dietary deficiency of iron , folate or B12 as cause of anemia.
• Are you pregnant? - pregnancy causes increased physiological requirements of iron and folate.
• Alcohol history? - Alcohol can cause anemia by several mechanisms e.g. Gastrointestinal blood loss due to oesophageal varices, peptic ulcer; folate deficiency and sideroblastic anemia.
• Past medical history - Chronic disease can cause anemia e.g. connective tissue disease, malignancy , thyroid disorders , Addison's disease.
• Surgical history - e.g. previous stomach or small bowel surgery can cause Vitamin B12 deficiency; any recent surgery can cause blood loss.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Anemia (57 listings)

Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)

Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Anemia) may include:

• Anemia symptoms - e.g. lethargic, tired, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pains, palpitations - may indicate if symptomatic or asymptomatic.
• Menorrhagia? - i.e heavy periods with clotting and flooding - may indicate cause of chronic blood loss and thus anemia.
• Peptic ulcer symptoms - e.g. episodic burning pain in upper abdomen below the ribs related to meals - may be cause of chronic blood loss and thus anemia.
• Rectal bleeding? - may be due to colorectal cancer or polyps, diverticular disease, hemorrhoids , angiodysplasia and thus be a cause of chronic blood loss and thus anemia.
• Melaenia - i.e black tarry stools - indicates bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal tract e.g peptic ulcer or oesophageal varices and thus be cause of anemia.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Anemia (57 listings)

Stories from Users for Anemia

Real-life user stories relating to Anemia:

• Does anyone know what iron & blood levels should be?
• 1 year old - undiagnosed fast breather/low oxygen levels
• Microcyte anaemia
• Can Being An Anemic Cause Miscarriages???
• hemoglobin
• I my tsh level too low?
• anemic symtoms
• low b12 levels
• (help pls)tsh level is too low from 0.08 to 0.02 (is this worst?)
• What foods/vitamins/minerals will make haemoglobin in red blood cells?
• low hemoglobin-enlarged spleen
• breathing difficulties and blood sugar levels
• high fetal hemoglobin, borderline low hem A
• Suffering For Last 08 Yrs Due To Low Hemoglobin And Enlarged Spleen
• low blood levels

Symptom specific forums: The following patient stories in our interactive forums and message boards relate to Anemia or relevant symptoms:

• Constitutional (General Wellbeing) (156)
  • Sore Scalp/hair follicles
  • Fat loss in entire body
  • Dont know how much more I can take..
  • I'm Lost.
  • My wife does not sweat I'm worried
  • More user stories
• Cardiovascular (Heart and Blood Circulation) (171)
  • Chest pain and shortness of breath
  • Hand numbness
  • Purple-blue skin color
  • Need help with diagnoses
  • Anxiety and high BP
  • More user stories
• Gastrointestinal (Food - from entry to exit) (452)
  • Bloating/Distention/Intestinal Gas
  • Intense Abdominal Pain
  • Help Please! Extreme Abdominal Pain/Gas/Bowel Symptoms ++
  • Feels like a baby kicking-not pregnant
  • 7 year old with severe heartburn/stomach aches
  • More user stories
• Hematologic/Lymphatic (Blood and Lymph) (106)
  • High platelet count
  • Extreme neck pain, swollen lymph node -help
  • Swollen lymph nodes in groin
  • Nipple Discharge
  • Swollen Lymph Node for 2 1/2 months
  • More user stories
• Sexual/Reproductive/Gynecological (456)
  • Bleeding during sex, help!
  • Tingling at the end of penis
  • 17, and i want a baby.
  • Prostatitis- Help me please
  • *i just need someone to respond please:(...
  • More user stories

Videos for Anemia

Patient Surveys for Anemia

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Causes of Anemia listed in Disease Database:

Other medical conditions listed in the Disease Database as possible causes of Anemia as a symptom include:

• 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate hydroxylase deficiency
• Abetalipoproteinaemia
• Drip arm sample
• Familial histiocytic reticulosis
• Glucagonoma
• Haemoglobin C disease
• Hemodilution
• Hypersplenism
• Penicillium marneffei
• Rosiglitazone
• Visceral leishmaniasis
• Vitamin E deficiency
• Wegener's granulomatosis

See full list of 433 causes of Anemia
- (Source - Diseases Database)

Medications or substances causing Anemia:

The following drugs, medications, substances or toxins are some of the possible causes of Anemia as a symptom. Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using, including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.

• Dihydrotachysterol
• DHT
• Hytakerol
• Dactinomycin
• Cosmegen

See full list of 454 medications causing Anemia

Drug interactions causing Anemia:

When combined, certain drugs, medications, substances or toxins may react causing Anemia as a symptom. Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using, including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.

• Allopurinol and Vidarabine interaction
• Zyloprim and Vidarabine interaction
• BiCNU (Carmustine) and Tagamet (Cimetidine) interaction
• Coumadin (Warfarin) and Advil (Ibuprofen) interaction
• Coumadin (Warfarin) and Motrin (Ibuprofen) interaction

See full list of 195 drug interactions causing Anemia

Article Excerpts about Anemia

If your blood is low in red blood cells, you have anemia. Red blood cells carry oxygen (O₂) to tissues and organs throughout your body and enable them to use the energy from food. Without oxygen, these tissues and organs--particularly the heart and brain--may not do their jobs as well as they should. For this reason, if you have anemia, you may tire easily and look pale. Anemia may also contribute to heart problems. (Source: excerpt from Anemia in Kidney Disease and Dialysis: NIDDK)

The condition of having too few red blood cells. Healthy red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body. If the blood is low on red blood cells, the body does not get enough oxygen. People with anemia may be tired and pale and may feel their heartbeat change. Anemia is common in people with chronic renal failure or those on dialysis . (Source: excerpt from Kidney Failure Glossary: NIDDK)

Anemia is a process, not a disease, and is the most common disorder of the blood. Anemia occurs when the amount of red blood cells or hemoglobin (oxygen-carrying protein in the blood) in the blood becomes low, causing the tissues of the body to be deprived of oxygen-rich blood. It is characterized by a reduction in size, number, or color of red blood cells (RBC) which results in reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. The blood of an anemic person has trouble carrying oxygen to tissues and organs, in a sense, become "starved" of oxygen and without oxygen, the tissues cannot produce energy to function. In order for the body to stay healthy, organs and tissues need a steady supply of oxygen. (Source: excerpt from Anemia: NWHIC)

If your blood is low in red blood cells, you have anemia. Red blood cells carry oxygen (O₂) to tissues and organs throughout your body and enable them to use the energy from food. Without oxygen, these tissues and organs--particularly the heart and brain--may not do their jobs as well as they should. For this reason, if you have anemia, you may tire easily and look pale. Anemia may also contribute to heart problems. (Source: excerpt from Anemia in Kidney Disease and Dialysis: NIDDK)

The condition of having too few red blood cells. Healthy red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body. If the blood is low on red blood cells, the body does not get enough oxygen. People with anemia may be tired and pale and may feel their heartbeat change. Anemia is common in people with chronic renal failure or those on dialysis . (Source: excerpt from Kidney Failure Glossary: NIDDK)

Anemia is a process, not a disease, and is the most common disorder of the blood. Anemia occurs when the amount of red blood cells or hemoglobin (oxygen-carrying protein in the blood) in the blood becomes low, causing the tissues of the body to be deprived of oxygen-rich blood. It is characterized by a reduction in size, number, or color of red blood cells (RBC) which results in reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. The blood of an anemic person has trouble carrying oxygen to tissues and organs, in a sense, become "starved" of oxygen and without oxygen, the tissues cannot produce energy to function. In order for the body to stay healthy, organs and tissues need a steady supply of oxygen. (Source: excerpt from Anemia: NWHIC)

Definitions of Anemia:

Anemia: Any condition in which the number of red blood cells/mm³, the amount of hemoglobin in 100 mL of blood, and/or the volume of packed red blood cells/100 mL of blood are less than normal; clinically, generally pertaining to the concentration of oxygen-transporting material in a designated volume of blood, in contrast to total quantities as in oligocythemia, oligochromemia, and oligemia. Anemia is frequently manifested by pallor of the skin and mucous membranes, shortness of breath, palpitations of the heart, soft systolic murmurs, lethargy, and tendency to fatigue. [G. anaimia, fr. an- priv. + haima, blood]
Source: Stedman's Medical Spellchecker, © 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

A reduction in the number of red blood cells per cu mm, the amount of hemoglobin in 100 ml of blood, and the volume of packed red blood cells per 100 ml of blood. Clinically, anemia represents a reduction in the oxygen-transporting capacity of a designated volume of blood, resulting from an imbalance between blood loss (through hemorrhage or hemolysis) and blood production. Signs and symptoms of anemia may include pallor of the skin and mucous membranes, shortness of breath, palpitations of the heart, soft systolic murmurs, lethargy, and fatigability. --2004
- (Source - Diseases Database)

A deficiency of red blood cells
- (Source - WordNet 2.1)

Subnormal levels or function of erythrocytes, resulting in symptoms of tissue hypoxia.
- (Source - CRISP)

A condition in which the number of red blood cells is below normal.
- (Source - National Cancer Institute)

Organs affected by Anemia:

The list of organs typically affected by Anemia may include, but is not limited to:

• Blood

Detailed list of causes of Anemia

The list below shows some of the causes of Anemia mentioned in various sources:

• 4-Alpha-hydroxyphenylpyruvate hydroxylase deficiency - anemia due to destruction of red blood cells
• 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate hydroxylase deficiency
• ?-Glutamylcysteine synthetase deficiency - hemolytic anemia
• Abetalipoproteinaemia
• Achor-Smith syndrome - pernicious anemia

See full list of 433 causes of Anemia

How Common are these Causes of Anemia?

This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Anemia. Of the 433 causes of Anemia that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:

• 4 causes are "very common" diseases
• 9 causes are "common" diseases
• 8 causes are "uncommon" diseases
• 2 causes are "rare" diseases
• 26 causes are "very rare" diseases
• 396 causes have no prevalence information.

See the analysis of the prevalence of 433 causes of Anemia

Conditions listing symptoms: Anemia:

The following list of conditions have 'Anemia' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

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Causes of Anemia Based on Risk Factors

This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Anemia based on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient: