Anemia is a syndrome characterized by low levels of blood hemoglobin (compared to normal), and not only the total value, but its amount in one red blood cell is taken into account.
Hemoglobin function and its norm
Hemoglobin is a protein that contains an iron atom that can bind oxygen molecules. It is found only in red blood cells. Outside of these cells, this protein is rapidly destroyed. The normal indicators are the interval from 110 to 155 g per liter (for women - 110-145, and for men - 120-155). A drop below 110 is anemia. The fact is that hemoglobin from 110 to 120 in men is considered the maximum permissible, although abnormal.
Degrees of anemia
Clinical practice has shown that a decrease in the level of this protein to different numbers has similar manifestations, which is why it is customary to divide all anemia into several groups. Previously, there were classifications by degrees of severity - mild, moderate and severe. Now a decision has been made to call these degrees in quantitative order in ascending order. So anemia of the 1st degree is considered the least severe. Her hemoglobin ranges from 110 to 90, and usually she has no clinical signs under normal living conditions. Blood anemia of this degree manifests itself only when certain loads are performed that go beyond the usual for a given person. The first signs that appear during normal exercise correspond to moderate anemia. Now it is called the second. With it, hemoglobin ranges from 90 to 70 g in one liter of blood. Finally, severe anemia (now referred to as the third) is characterized by a detailed picture of the disease. Here the hemoglobin numbers are below 70.
Causes and forms of the disease
The causes leading to the development of the disease determine its form.
1. Acute anemia. They are always associated with the rapid loss of red blood cells. There are two reasons here: bleeding and rapid destruction of red blood cells. The latter circumstance is observed, for example, in case of poisoning with hemolytic poisons. A rapid decrease in hemoglobin exceeds the rate of development of the compensatory capabilities of the body. Therefore, anemia of the 1st degree can occur even at rest.
2. Chronic anemia accounts for more than 80-85% of all diseases of this type, so their causes are the most common. This is a number of diseases, for example, a deficiency of any factor at any stage of hemoglobin synthesis, a pathology of the structure of red blood cells and their diseases. Deficiency factors include a lack of iron, cyanocobalomin, cytochromes, porphyrin. The pathology of red blood cells may be congenital or acquired. In the first case, red blood cells are either formed with defects leading to a decrease in the hemoglobin level in them, or they themselves are very unstable and prone to rapid destruction. Often, the first signs appear even when a person has anemia of 1 degree. Acquired pathology arises as a result of various diseases leading to early destruction of red blood cells. Such, for example, is malaria.
Clinical manifestations of chronic anemia
Regardless of the level of hemoglobin, chronic anemia, the severity of which determines only the severity of the manifestations, has a certain set of symptoms.
· Weakness and fatigue.
Dizziness, tinnitus and flickering "flies" before the eyes.
· Pale skin.
· Fragility of nails, change in their shape and color.
Dry skin and hair loss.
All of these features are not required for one person. So, anemia of the 1st degree in some can be manifested only by paleness and dryness of the skin, while others may experience brittle nails and hair loss with normal skin color.
Prevalence of Anemia in Surgical Diseases
The problem of anemia is not only therapeutic, a small percentage of its cases occurs in surgical practice. And often anemia is the first sign of any pathology that requires emergency intervention by the surgeon. One of the common conditions is bleeding from the digestive tube.