Anaemia and Its Types or Classification

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Iron deficiency anaemia
Folic Acid Deficiency Anaemia
Pernicious anaemia
Aplastic anaemia
Sickle Cell Anaemia
Polycythemia Vera
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Human blood is composed of plasma alongside important cells and their subdivisions. The bone marrow acts as the production point for these blood substances. Plasma is mainly in form of a fluid and makes blood to assume the appearance of water.

One of the most important cells in the blood is the red blood cells. Their main role is to transport oxygen using hemoglobin. Besides, there are also white blood cells and platelets that are all important in the normal functioning of the body. Deficiency or lack of enough red blood cells may lead to the development of anemia. There are six main classifications of anemia as described in the rest of the literature.

Iron deficiency anaemia

Where there is a decrease in the content of iron in the body, it results into the development of iron deficiency anaemia. According to the research study conducted by Goddard, McIntyre, and Scott (2000), when there is a severe lack of iron in the body to an extent that erythropoietin has been depleted significantly, it is usually highly likely that iron deficiency anaemia will develop. This condition can adversely affect the health of an individual. Those who are affected by the iron deficiency may not be in a position to carry out physical activities, while in children; growth is hampered in addition to grounded learning abilities.

The normal content of iron in people who are healthy is about 60 parts per million (Goddard, McIntyre, and Scott, 2000). The main function of the adoptive cells located in the ileum is to control or regulate the amount of iron needed at any given time in the process of body metabolism. The cells balance the amount of iron absorbed by the body against those lost as wastes. When an error occurs in this balance, it may lead to undesired health conditions.

Folic Acid Deficiency Anaemia

Hahn, S.J. et al. (1988), elaborate that when red blood cells happen to be extra large in size they expected, it may easily transform into a condition called Folic Acid Deficiency anemia. In such an event, the deformation of the red blood cells is also possible due to the abnormal size. As a result, the rate at which the cells are produced may go down in addition to the reduced lifespan of their stay in the body. Consequently, an individual going through such a condition may easily develop Folic Acid Deficiency Anaemia. This deficiency is most common among infants, lactating mothers, teenagers, or those with pre-conditions like intestinal infections.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) production largely relieonin the presence of folic acid. The latter is instrumental in the systematic production of DNA in all the cells that make up the body tissues (Hahn et al., 1988). Besides, folic acid forms the fourth most important component of the DNA base. Liver stores folic acid. Its deficiency within the body system is often a result of an inadequate amount of it in the diet taken.

Pernicious anaemia

When there is a body deficiency of vitamin B12, red blood cells will not be produced in the required amount (Ardill et al., 1998). As a result, a condition referred to as pernicious anemia will occur. It is very common among people whose body metabolic process fails to uptake vitamin B12 from digested food nutrients.

The division of red blood cells in pernicious anemia is quite abnormal. After the cells divide, the resultant cells are often abnormally large in size (Ardill et al., 1998). Consequently, the process of these cells ejecting themselves from the bone marrow becomes cumbersome. This difficulty is occasioned by body deficiency of vitamin B12. The main constituents of vitamin B12 include dairy products, eggs among other animal food products. When these food substances are taken and the resultant nutrients absorbed in a normal way, vitamin B12 is made available to manufacture red blood cells. Besides, vitamin B12 is also a major requirement in the functionality of the nervous system. If not checked properly, pernicious anaemia may lead to the development of other adverse health conditions such as stomach cancer.

The condition affects adults who are mostly in the range of 50 to 60 years (Ardill et al., 1998).

Aplastic anaemia

When the bone marrow fails to work properly, it is often a characteristic syndrome of aplastic anaemia. This is based on the fact that when the stem cell undergoes damage, the bone marrow may equally experience failure (Ioannou et al., 2010). Besides, when the microenvironment within the bone marrow gets narrow, it can lead to complications. Research studies on aplastic anaemia reveal that 8 out of 10 cases of the condition are acquired. The acquired cases further reveal that aplastic anaemia turns out to be an autoimmune infection (Ioannou et al., 2010).

When hematopoietic elements are deficient in the bone marrow, and instead the microenvironment occupied by fatty tissues, then it is definite that aplastic anaemia may be in the vicinity. Most morphologic evaluations have demonstrated concurring results. The population of the CD3 4 cells are usually depleted or low in count. The flow cytometry analysis also indicates that this low population of the cells is evident in the stem cells found in the bone marrow. When such conditions prevail, the development of aplastic anaemia is almost inevitable.

Sickle Cell Anaemia

There is a myriad of sickle cell diseases one of which is the sickle cell anaemia. The normal red blood cells are supposed to be regularly shaped in form of a disc. However, in the event of sickle cell anaemia, these cells are deformed and assume the shape of a sickle (Lonergan & Abbondanzo, 2001). The cells end up being shaped in form of a crescent. It is a serious disorder that warrantees urgent medical attention.

When the red blood cells are in their normal working condition, they are freely delocalised throughout the blood vessels.

In fact, the red pigment observed in blood is as a result of the haemoglobin which are part and parcel of the red blood cells. Oxygen is circulated throughout the animal body by the help of haemoglobin. The crescent shape observed in sickle cells is as a consequence of haemoglobin that has become abnormal in the blood. As a result, the free movement of the affected cells in the blood is hampered (Lonergan & Abbondanzo, 2001). These cells develop into clumps, they become stiff and hence, the flow of flow of blood into important body parts is significantly reduced leading to the development of anaemic condition.

Polycythemia Vera

This is not a very common blood disorder. However, it refers to a condition whereby blood cell is produced in excess amount by the bone marrow (Green, 2003). This condition occurs especially when the red blood cells are highly concentrated because they are being produced in abnormally large amounts. Even as these cells are being generated in surplus, the other blood cells namely platelets and white blood cells are also secreted though in regulated quantities.

In terms of gender, the disease has been found to be more prevalent in males compared to their female counterparts. Up to date, there is no singe and conclusive research study that has determined the actual cause of this condition. Further statistics also reveal that adults over 40 years are more likely to develop polycythemia Vera than those in the lower age groups (Green, 2003). From this objective point of view, an assumption can be made that perhaps environment exposure and the nature of lifestyle might as well be instrumental in the onset of the condition.

Conclusion

In summing up this paper, it is imperative to note that anaemia is a disease caused by insufficient red blood cells in the body. As noted above, anaemia can be classified into six main types namely polycythemia vera, iron deficiency anaemia, sickle cell anaemia, aplastic anaemia, pernicious anaemia and folic acid deficiency anaemia.

References

Ardill et al. (1998). “Autoantibodies to gastrin in patients with pernicious anaemia-a novel antibody”, QJ Med, 91: 739-742.

Goddard, A.F.; McIntyre, A.S. and Scott, B.B. (2000). “Guidelines for the management of iron deficiency anaemia”, Gut, 46: iv1-iv5.

Green, R. (2003). “Mystery of thiamine-responsive megaloblastic anaemia unlocked”, Blood, 102(10): 3464-3465.

Hahn, S.J. et al. (1988). “A Case of Vitamin B12 Deficiency Megaloblastic Anaemia Following Total Gastrectomy”, Yorsei Medical Journal, 29(3): 270-277.

Ioannou, S. et al. (2010). “Aplastic anaemia associated with interferon alpha 2a in a patient with chronic hepatitis C virus infection: a case report”, Journal of Medical Case Reports, 4:268.

Lonergan, J.G. and Abbondanzo, L.S. (2001). “Sickle Cell Anaemia”, RadioGraphics, 2 1(4):971–994.

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