What Causes Anemia?
Anemia is a fairly common health condition that can affect people of all ages and race. However, some people are more apt to develop the condition than others are. There are numerous causes for anemia and while some of these causes, such as poor diet, can be helped, other causes can’t. Having an iron deficiency is one of the main causes of anemia.
Age can be a factor in anemia among the elderly, but even infants and children can have anemia. Kids can get anemia by not eating the right amount of iron in their daily food intake or by consuming a lot of milk.
But kids can also have anemia because of their rate of growth. They’re growing faster than their body’s level of iron supply. Kids can also get anemia for the same reason an adult can.
Pregnant women are very high risk for developing anemia, even if they don’t have it before they become pregnant. The reason that pregnancy causes anemia is because pregnancy raises the level of iron that the body needs – and if this need isn’t met, it causes anemia.
Iron is extremely important for the baby’s development, and the growing baby will pull the iron it needs from the mother’s body. Having the right amount of iron is especially important for a pregnant woman because without it, the body’s ability to clot blood during and after the birth is at risk. Some pregnant women take a multi vitamin rather than a prenatal vitamin, but this doesn’t give their body enough iron.
A loss of blood can cause anemia, and women who have a heavy menstrual cycle (called menorrhagia) often develop anemia. Because of the heavy cycles, the level of iron is often not restored before the next monthly cycle begins, so the woman’s iron stores are in a deficit.
One surprising cause of anemia can be traced to heavy exertion. This is usually found among athletes. Any medical condition which causes bleeding can cause anemia. Having ulcers can lead to anemia, as can chronic hemorrhoids.
Polyps located in the intestines can cause anemia and other diseases such as autoimmune diseases, kidney diseases or thyroid problems can cause anemia. Digestive conditions can also be a cause of anemia.
The most common are celiac and inflammatory bowel disease. Crohn’s disease can also cause anemia because of the blood loss and lack of absorption ability for vitamins. Some surgeries (such as gastric bypass) can also cause anemia because the level of nutrient absorption is lowered and the body can’t get the vitamins and iron it needs.
Not enough vitamin B 12 or folate in the diet can also cause anemia. Anemia can be caused by genetics and also by some medications such as blood thinners. Your doctor will be able to help pinpoint your cause and then advise a proper treatment for it.
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