Difference between Iron Deficiency Anemia, Thalassemia, and Anemia
Explain the difference between iron deficiency anemia, thalassemia, and anemia of chronic disease. Briefly describe the treatment for one of these conditions.
Length: A minimum of 275 words, not including references
Citations: At least 2 high-level scholarly references in APA 7 from within the last 5 years
Sample Paper
Discussion
Anemia is a blood disorder characterized by a deficiency of healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen across the body tissues and organs. Therefore, deficiency of enough red blood cells causes an inadequate supply of oxygen across the body, resulting in fatigue and weaknesses. Anemia is classified based on the cause, and each type has a unique treatment (Saxena, Chamoli & Batra, 2018).
Iron-deficiency anemia arises from a deficiency of iron in the blood. Iron plays a crucial role in the body. It is responsible for the red color in blood and the formation of hemoglobin. Common signs and symptoms of this form of anemia include weakness, fatigue, cheat pain, pale skin, shortness of breath, headache, brittle nails, and craving for dirt. The most common causes include blood loss, a low iron-rich diet, poor iron absorption, and pregnancy (Saxena, Chamoli & Batra, 2018).
The other form of anemia is Thalassemia. The form of anemia is hereditary and is caused by gene mutations of cells that form hemoglobin. Consequently, there is the production of inadequate hemoglobin n the body. Common symptoms of this form of anemia are fatigue, weaknesses, Thalassemia., facial deformities, slow growth, pale skin, dark urine, and abdominal swelling (Saxena, Chamoli & Batra, 2018).
The third form of anemia is anemia of chronic disease. The condition has similar symptoms to iron deficiency anemia. It results from deficiency of red blood cells due to chronic illnesses such as autoimmune diseases and cancer (Weiss, 2002).
Treatment of anemia of chronic disease
The first step to treating this form of anemia is managing the underlying disease causing the anemia. The next step is treating the anemia symptoms. If the condition is mild, an iron supplement combined with an iron-rich diet is recommended (Weiss, 2002). However, if the anemia is severe, a blood transfusion is recommended.
References
Saxena, R., Chamoli, S., & Batra, M. (2018). Clinical Evaluation of Different Types of Anemia. World, 2(1), 26-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20200709192105id_/https://www.wjoanemia.com/doi/pdf/10.5005/jp-journals-10065-0024
Weiss, G. (2002). Pathogenesis and treatment of anaemia of chronic disease. Blood reviews, 16(2), 87-96. https://doi.org/10.1054/blre.2002.0193
