Anemia

Anemia

Mrs. A’s symptoms and laboratory results indicate that she is suffering from iron-deficiency anemia. People suffer from anemia when the body lacks sufficient red blood cells to transport oxygen to all the parts of the body. In order to carry oxygen, the inhaled oxygen is bound to the hemoglobin found in the red blood cells (Johnson-Wimbley & Graham, 2011). Red blood cells need sufficient iron in order to produce hemoglobin. As such, insufficient iron in the blood is one of the commonest causes of anemia. Red blood cells contain many hemoglobin molecules.

Hemoglobin is made up of a molecule called heme and protein referred to as globulin. The heme bonds with oxygen in the lungs and the oxygenated cells move to all the parts of the body through the blood stream. When the body does not have sufficient iron for the production of hemoglobin, the individual develops iron-deficiency anemia. Symptoms such as low energy levels, shortness of breath and light-headedness indicate that Mrs. A is suffering from iron-deficiency anemia (American Society of Hematology, 2013). These symptoms are as a result of reduced transport of oxygen in the blood.  Iron deficiency occurs when the demand of iron in the body cannot be met (Killip, Bennett, & Chambers, 2007).

Mrs. A has also been suffering from dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia for a long time. Menorrhagia refers to excessive bleeding during menstruation while dysmenorrhea refers to severe cramps accompanying the bleeding. Women suffering from menorrhagia are at a high risk of contacting iron-deficiency anemia because their bodies may lose more iron in the blood than can be replaced through their diet. Therefore, Mrs. A’s iron deficiency may be a result of losing a lot of blood. Women normally lose approximately 30 ml of blood during menstruation but menorrhagia makes them lose over 80 ml. Mrs. A is suffering from iron-deficiency anemia, which is a type of microcytic hypochromic anemia. One of the causes of this type of anemia is loss of blood (American Society of Hematology, 2013). Mrs. A has lost a lot of blood due to menorrhagia leading to iron deficiency. Laboratory tests reveal that Mrs. A’s red blood cells are hypochromic, which means that they have less hemoglobin. Such red blood cells are paler than usual. Her red blood cells are also microcytic, which means that they are smaller in size than the normal cells (Johnson-Wimbley & Graham, 2011). Pale and smaller red blood cells are some of the main indicators of iron-deficiency anemia.

The results of other blood tests further ascertain that Mrs. A’s condition is iron deficiency anemia. She is suffering from anemia since her hemoglobin levels are less than 12 g/dl. Her hematocrit is also lower than the normal 35 to 47 % for women. Low levels of hematocrit and hemoglobin are signs of iron-deficiency anemia (Killip et al., 2007). Moreover, Mrs. A’s reticulocyte count is not high and this indicates that she is losing red blood cells but their production is low. A low value of reticulocyte count indicates that the bone marrow is making few red blood cells and this is common in iron-deficiency anemia (Johnson-Wimbley & Graham, 2011). This type of anemia is as a result of very low iron stores in the body which cannot support the normal production of red blood cells. A reticulocyte count is done to determine whether the cause of anemia is as a result of excessive loss of red blood cells (Johnson-Wimbley & Graham, 2011). This test measures the number of immature erythrocytes in circulation. Mrs. A’s erythrocyte count is also low, which is a sign of iron-deficiency anemia.

From the symptoms presented in the case, Mrs. A appears to be suffering from Iron deficiency anemia. This diagnosis arises from observations such as dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia, which puts Mrs A at risk for anemia. Further, laboratory results indicating hemoglobin levels lower than 12 g/dl, lower than normal hematocrit, low reticulocyte count and low erythrocyte count confirms the diagnosis. Such a diagnosis implies that Mrs. A may need to take iron supplements to boost the levels of Iron in her body.

 

References

American Society of Hematology. (2013). Iron-deficiency anemia. Retrieved January 20, 2014 from http://www.hematology.org/patients/blood-disorders/anemia/5263.aspx

Johnson-Wimbley, T.D. & Graham, D.Y. (2011). Diagnosis and  management of iron-deficiency anemia in the 21^st century. Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology, 4(3), 177-184.

Killip, S., Bennett, J.M., & Chambers, M.D. (2007). Iron Deficiency Anemia. American Family Physician, 75(5), 671-678.

 

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