What is anaemia? It’s symptoms, treatment and home remedies | Zyla Health
Do you feel tired or weak throughout the day? Is your heart beating too fast or are you experiencing hair loss? These are some of the signs of anaemia.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of anaemia in women of reproductive age in India was 53% in 2019, the fifth-highest globally. In the case of children between the ages of 6 to 59 months, the prevalence in India was 53.4%.
You should get your haemoglobin levels checked. It is a part of a routine check-up called Complete Blood Count (CBC) which also gives an analysis of the Red Blood Cells (RBC) in your body to detect if you are anaemic or not.
Now let’s see what our experts at Zyla Health have to say about what is anaemia and what are it’s symptoms, treatments and home remedies.
What is anaemia?
Anaemia is a condition where the Red Blood Cells (RBCs) or haemoglobin (Hb) or haematocrit in your blood are less than the normal levels. Haemoglobin is a protein present in your RBCs that transports oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body.
When you have less amount of RBC or Hb, your tissues and organs may not get enough oxygen leading to a condition called anaemia.
For the formation of haemoglobin, your body needs iron. Most people are anaemic because they have fewer stores of iron in their bodies.
How can you know about your haemoglobin or RBCs level? Are they normal, low or high? Well, continue reading to find out the answers!
Diagnostic test for anaemia
There are 4 tests that can help us to diagnose anaemia:
1. CBC (Complete Blood Count)
The CBC test is a common test used to measure the status of overall blood parameters including haemoglobin, RBC, White Blood Cells (WBC), platelets etc. If the haemoglobin levels are low in the CBC report, then this depicts that you have anaemia.
The normal range for haemoglobin is for males (ages 15+) — 13.0–17.0 g/dL and for females (ages 15+) — 11.5–15.5 g/dL.
The normal range for Hematocrit for males — 40–55% and for females — 36–48%.
2. Reticulocyte count
The reticulocyte count measures the number of immature red blood cells in your blood. These immature cells are produced by your bone marrow. For a healthy adult, the normal range is around 0.5% to 2.5%.
A high number of reticulocyte counts indicates anaemia and a low number indicates that your bone marrow is not producing enough red blood cells.
3. Blood smear
A blood smear is a method in which a small drop of your blood is taken on a microscopic slide and a special dye is added to it and observed under the microscope. It determines the disturbed levels of RBCs, WBCs and platelets.
4. Iron panel test
Based on the other blood examinations, an iron panel test is prescribed by doctors if they suspect that a patient is suffering from iron deficiency because of internal bleeding or some other issues to detect anaemia.
The normal levels for iron is 60–170 mcg/dL, transferrin saturation is 25–35% and total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) is 240–450 mcg/dL for a healthy adult.
You must’ve seen most women/ girls around you having low haemoglobin levels but do you know that there are other people who can have anaemia too? Let’s find out…
Who is at risk of anaemia?
- Menstruating women
- Women going through the pregnancy and breastfeeding phase
- Premature babies
- Children going through puberty
- People suffering from chronic diseases
- Athletes
- People following a vegetarian or vegan diet or FAD diets
You can get in touch with some of the leading doctors and clinical nutritionists at Zyla to get yourself diagnosed and treated the right way. Download the Zyla app or visit the website — Zyla.in for more information.
Now let me tell you more about anaemia and that is, that it can be of different types because of it’s different causes! Confused? Don’t be, because I am here to explain…
Different types and causes of anaemia
1. Iron deficiency anaemia
This is the most common type of anaemia which occurs due to insufficient iron in your blood. Due to this, your body cannot produce enough haemoglobin.
Some of the major causes of iron deficiency anaemia are blood loss through heavy periods in women or blood loss within the body. It could also be due to lack of iron in your diet or an inability to absorb iron in your body.
2. Megaloblastic anaemia
This type of anaemia occurs when you have low levels of vitamin B12 or folic acid in your bodies. This usually occurs because of poor dietary intake of vitamin B12 or folic acid rich foods.
Another form of vitamin B12 anaemia is pernicious anaemia which is an auto-immune disorder in which vitamin B12 is not absorbed properly in the gastrointestinal tract.
3. Aplastic anaemia
Aplastic anaemia is a condition in which the body stops producing enough red blood cells required for the body. This results due to bone marrow damage and is also known as bone marrow aplasia.
This kind of damage can be caused at birth or it could also occur after exposure to radiation, chemotherapy, infection, toxic chemicals and some specific drug usage.
4. Sickle-cell anaemia
Also known as sickle cell disease, is a condition in which the structure of the red blood cells which are usually round in shape and flexible, changes shape into a sickle shape or crescent moon shape.
These cells become rigid and sticky making them difficult to pass through the capillary and hence slowing down or blocking the blood flow.
5. Hemolytic anaemia
A condition in which the red blood cells are destroyed faster than they can be made in the body. This happens when parents pass on the gene to their children or it can be developed in the later stage of life.
Now that you know what is anaemia, it’s different types and causes, let’s move on and know what all are the symptoms of anaemia…
Symptoms of anaemia
- Weakness
- Extreme fatigue
- Hair loss
- Dizziness and lightheadedness
- Soreness in the tongue
- Brittle nails
- Pounding or rushing sound in your ears
- Headache
- Cold hands or feet
- Pale or yellow skin
- Chest pain, fast heartbeat and shortness of breath
Now, I am done with all the symptoms and causes of anaemia and I would like to guide you through it’s treatment…
Treatment of anaemia
1. Pharmacological treatment
- IV treatment
Blood transfusion is done to increase the haemoglobin levels of a person, whose haemoglobin levels are really low to treat urgent medical conditions.
- IFA supplementation
The Government of India carries out many programs to curb anaemia for all age groups. One of the programs is providing free iron-folic acid supplements to people to recover from low haemoglobin status. These are oral supplementations i.e. taken by mouth.
- Vitamin B 12 supplementation
Vitamin B12 or methylcobalamin is given either in the oral form of tablets or is injected into the patient to improve iron levels.
- Steroids
Some anabolic steroids that are used by bodybuilders to increase their muscle mass are also used in some cases to treat anaemia.
If you’re seeking help to improve low haemoglobin and want personalised care, you can download the Zyla app or visit our website-Zyla.in and enrol in the Holistic Health Program.
2. Dietary management of anaemia
Though supplements are provided to increase haemoglobin levels in your body, one should also take care of dietary habits. Let’s look at a few dietary guidelines:
- Avoid consumption of caffeine products such as tea or coffee with foods rich in iron. Since caffeine is an inhibitor of iron, it affects the absorption of iron in the body making it less bioavailable.
- Have iron-rich foods along with vitamin C-rich foods since vitamin C helps in dietary absorption of iron.
- Iron-rich foods like raisins (kishmish), methi seeds, spinach, methi leaves, flax seeds (alsi ke beej), beetroot, soy products, cashews (kaju), pumpkin seeds (kaddu ke beej), shellfish, broccoli, kale, green beans, cabbage, beans and lentils helps to improve anemia.
- Have vitamin C-rich foods like amla, lemon, orange, kiwi, pomegranate, carrot, apple, tomato and watermelon.
- Avoid having calcium-iron-rich food combinations as calcium hinders iron absorption.
- Have a small bowl of curd twice daily by adding a pinch of turmeric powder to it.
- Eat one beetroot or apple daily.
- Eat 5–6 raisins (kishmish) and 2–3 dates (khajur) in your mid-meals.
- As per Ayurveda, drinking a glass of water stored in a copper vessel in the morning helps to improve iron levels.
To know more, read our blog, “Top 10 foods to increase haemoglobin”. Now let me make it easy for you to increase your haemoglobin levels by telling you about some of the home remedies for anaemia…
Home remedies for anaemia
1. Moringa leaves
Take about 20–25 moringa leaves, chop them finely, add a teaspoon of jaggery (gud) and have this powder every day.
2. Beetroot lemon juice
Take a beetroot and blend it into a mixture, strain it and add lemon juice. Have this drink regularly in the morning.
3. Sesame ladoo
Take 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds (til), dry roast and blend them with 1 teaspoon of honey. Roll it into a ball and have them once daily.
4. Garden cress seeds & coconut ladoo
Take garden cress seeds (aliv) and soak them in coconut water overnight. Mix soaked garden cress seeds with grated coconut and jaggery and roll into a ball and have them.
We have learnt a lot about what is anaemia, its types, causes, symptoms and treatment to consider for healthy living.
However, I will encourage you to consult your doctor before starting with any supplements on your own. Your doctor knows better than anyone about your health and he/she will recommend what’s best for you!
If you’re seeking help to manage your health conditions, you can download the Zyla app or visit our website Zyla.in and check out the health program which is suitable for you.
Zyla has a team of 50+ medical experts who can provide personalised treatment through a holistic approach. So start your health journey today!
Stay strong! Stay healthy!
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