The 7 Signs You Have Chronic Anemia

The 7 Signs That You Have Chronic Anemia  are diverse because they can be signs that something is wrong in our body. In addition, one of the main disorders that may be related to Anemia are pallor, pale conjunctivitis, weakness, sleep, salivation, among others. Women should pay even more attention to them, as they are more predisposed to having this type of problem.

The intensity of Anemia  Symptoms depends on two factors: the time of onset of Anemia  and its severity. Chronic anemias , which set in slowly and gradually, over several weeks or months and do not usually cause symptoms until they are in very advanced stages. So, check out  The 7 Signs You Have Chronic Anemia. 

Symptoms of Anemia:  To understand the symptoms of anemia, you must first understand how red blood cells (red blood cells) work. Blood is not a purely liquid substance, it contains millions of cells, with red blood cells being the most abundant. The red blood cell is a cell whose main function is to transport oxygen through the blood to the tissues. Inside red blood cells there is a protein called hemoglobin, which is the structure responsible for binding to the oxygen molecule. When oxygen enters the red blood cell and binds to hemoglobin, it can thus be transported throughout the body.

Therefore, summarizing the process of how red blood cells work, we can say that red blood cells go to the lung , capture the oxygen breathed in (binding it to hemoglobin), and travel through the rest of the blood circulation delivering oxygen to the cells of the body to function properly. .

When there is anemia , that is, a reduced amount of red blood cells in the blood, we start to have symptoms due to the greater difficulty of the cells to receive adequate amounts of oxygen. The more severe the chronic anemia , that is, the lower the concentration of circulating red blood cells in the blood, the more intense the signs and symptoms.

Signs You Have Chronic Anemia:

Tiredness and Lack of Energy: Tiredness and  lack of energy is another sign that you have chronic anemia  When the number of oxygen-carrying cells is reduced, the body’s ability to deliver oxygen to all tissues is compromised. As oxygen is an essential fuel for cells to function, its reduction causes symptoms such as tiredness  , weakness, dizziness, lack of mood, difficulty concentrating, drowsiness and headache.

Young and healthy people tolerate the fatigue  of anemia better , feeling these symptoms only when they need to exert effort. Older people, on the other hand, often complain a lot of tiredness   and lack of energy, making it difficult to perform simple tasks, such as getting dressed, showering and walking around the house. Tiredness is the  most common and most typical symptom of anemia . The faster the red blood cell concentration drops, the more intense the tiredness symptom .

Shortness of breath:  Shortness of breath is another sign that you have chronic anemia  , as it usually occurs in severe cases of anemia or in patients who already have some degree of cardiac and/or lung malfunction. As the amount of oxygen that reaches the cells is insufficient, the body’s response is to accelerate the respiratory rate, in an attempt to increase blood oxygenation. Therefore, the patient with anemia may complain of shortness of breath and have faster breathing.

Accelerated Heart:  Just as there is an increase in respiratory rate, there is also an increase in heart activity  . The heart  speeds up trying to increase the amount of blood reaching the tissues and this is another sign that you have chronic anemia . The logic is simple, if the blood is low in oxygen, more blood needs to arrive so the cells can receive an acceptable amount of oxygen.

Chest Pain:  In patients with heart disease, reduced tissue oxygenation and increased heart rate may not be well tolerated. If the patient already has a diseased heart  , he will have difficulties to increase its functioning, and even a mild anemia can be the last straw that was needed to trigger cardiac ischemia . In patients with heart disease  , hematocrit values ​​below 10g/dl are often dangerous.

Skin Pallor:  The pallor of the skin and mucous membranes occurs for two reasons. The main one is the reduction in blood circulation that occurs in peripheral tissues (such as the skin ), since the body starts to give priority to the noble organs of the body, diverting the flow of blood to them. As the skin receives less blood, it becomes paler. Also, as there is a drop in the number of circulating red blood cells, the blood becomes more dilute, taking on a less vivid color. Therefore, in anemia , the skin and mucous membranes begin to receive less blood, and the blood that arrives is diluted because there is a lack of red blood cells. In addition to pallor, the skin can also become colder.

Pale Conjunctiva: It is a sign of anemia in people withdarker skin , this paleness of the skin is more difficult to be noticed. To identify anemia , it is necessary to look at the color of the mouth and the conjunctiva of the eyes, which are paler in cases of anemia . Skin pallor may not be noticed until hemoglobin  drops to values ​​around 10 g/dl. Therefore, the absence of pallor alone does not rule out anemia .

Cramps: Cramps  occur for the same reasons as tiredness  and skin pallor. The lack of oxygenation of the muscles, associated with the effective reduction of blood circulation, causes disturbances in the normal functioning of the muscles, which may lead to involuntary contractions.

Hypotension:  Hypotension is a common symptom in anemias that arise from blood loss. When the patient has a hemorrhage, he not only loses red blood cells, but also the volume of circulating blood, which leads to a drop in blood pressure . Hypotension clinically manifests as extreme weakness , difficulty standing, dizziness ,  and feeling faint . Anemia with hypotension is a medical emergency and blood transfusion is indicated as soon as possible.

Acute Anemia X Chronic Anemia:  The intensity of the symptoms of anemia depends on two factors: the time of onset of anemia and its severity. Chronic anemias , which set in slowly and gradually, over several weeks or months, do not usually cause symptoms until very advanced stages. As the process is slow, the existing hemoglobins  have time to adapt, becoming more effective in capturing and distributing oxygen throughout the body.

Normal hemoglobin values  ​​are greater than 13 g/dl for men and greater than 12 g/dl for women. Due to the ability of red blood cells to adapt, patients with chronic anemia are able to remain asymptomatic at rest up to levels of 8 or 9 g/dl of hemoglobin  . Of course, previous health status counts. If the patient already has other diseases, mainly of pulmonary or cardiac origin, their ability to adapt to anemia is much reduced. Young patients in excellent physical condition may only experience the symptoms of anemia in severe cases, with hemoglobin  around 6g/dl. Elderly people may start to feel the effects as soon as hemoglobin levels drop below 10g/dl.

In cases of acute anemia , with rapid onset, such as those that occur due to hemorrhage , the patient feels the symptoms even if the hemoglobin drop  is not very accentuated. A hemoglobin  that drops abruptly from 14g/dl to 10g/dl is enough to cause many of the symptoms of anemia described above.