4 ways anemia can be treated

Anemia is one of the widely progressing health condition that needs attention. Here are some effective treatment options to cure your anemia.

Written By: Bhavyajyoti Chilukoti | Updated : April 29, 2015 10:53 PM IST

Anemia is one of the widely affecting clinical conditions in the Indian subcontinent that mostly affects pregnant women and children. The treatment options for this disease usually depends on its clinical severity and the cause. The goal of treatment is to either increase the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood or to treat the underlying cause of the disease. For mild to moderate cases of anemia focus is on increasing the blood oxygen carrying capacity which is done by raising red blood cell count or hemoglobin levels. However for severe cases of anemia blood transfusion or surgery is the best treatment options.

The currently available treatments for anemia employ medications, surgery or dietary changes and supplements depending upon the cause. Here are few treatments that are currently used for treating anemic patients

Dietary changes and supplements

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Iron Low levels of iron are either caused due to iron-deficiency anemia or any other disease conditions. Our body requires iron for production of hemoglobin. Doctors, recommend that iron obtained from diet vegetables and fruits are the best and safe sources to fill the depleted stores of iron in the body. Iron is usually available as a supplement in combination with multivitamins. Foods rich in iron content are spinach (palak) and leafy vegetables, peas and lentils (dals), dry fruits, prunes, tofu and iron-fortified cereals and breads. You may also read tips to increase haemoglobin levels naturally.

Vitamin B12 Pernicious anemia is caused due to low levels of vitamin B 12. This anemia is often treated with vitamin B 12 supplements. But, this vitamin can be obtained through dietary sources like meats (fish, poultry, liver or beef), eggs or dairy products and fortified foods.

Folic Acid This vitamin is necessary for normal production of new blood cells. Pregnant women generally require folate for healthy growth of the fetus and to avoid anemia. Good sources of dietary folate are eggs, leafy vegetables, dried beans, peas, beef liver and fruits (bananas, oranges, etc).

Vitamin C This vitamin is required for absorption of dietary iron by the body cells. Foods that are rich in vitamin C content are citrus fruits, broccoli, bell pepper, guava, etc. To know more about natural sources of this vitamin read10 natural sources of vitamin C

Medications The medications used to treat anemia depends on the cause of the anemia and the goal of treatment. Anemia associated with bone marrow transplantation and hemolytic anemia is usually treated with medications. Some of the commonly used medicines are

For treating infections caused due to anemia antibiotics are used.
To treat anemia caused due to heavy menstrual bleeding in women hormonal therapy is preferred.
Children with iron-deficiency anemia are at increased risk of lead poisoning. Chelation therapy is mostly used to treat lead poisoning in anemic kids.
In case of anemia causing low blood cells, synthetic erythropoietin is used as it stimulates the body to produce more red blood cells. Your doctor will outweigh the benefits vs risks of this hormone before recommending you this option.
Other medicationslike cancer drugs (hydroxyurea) and medicines that prevent the body's immune system from attacking its own blood cells are also used for treatment.

Surgery

Surgery is generally the last option for treatment of anemia that is caused due to a serious or life-threatening bleeding (like in case of colon cancer or stomach ulcer). Splenectomy surgical removal of the spleen (organ that removes dead blood cells from the body) is carried out in case of hemolytic anemia and in some cases of iron-deficiency anemia.

Clinical Procedures

Blood transfusion

Blood transfusion is one of the common and safe clinical procedures used to treat anemia. It includes intravenous supply of blood after the donor's blood is matched with the recipient. This procedure is used to treat various types of anemia namely sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, hemolytic anemia, aplastic anemia and anemia resulted from chronic disease.

Stem cell transplants

The bone marrow stem cell transplantation technique involves replacement of faulty stem cells with healthy bone marrow cells from a donor. Stem cells are made in the bone marrow which later gets developed into white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. Stem cell transplantation is usually used for treatment of anemia associated with bone marrow, aplastic anemia, sickle cell anemia and thalassemia.

References:

How Is Anemia Treated? National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NIH)

Anemia Treatments and drugs. Mayoclinic

Understanding Anemia -- Diagnosis and Treatment. WebMD

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