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Symptoms of anemia in children

What is the fastest way to cure anemia?

What.is the fastest way to cure anemia?

Taking iron supplement pills and getting enough iron in your food will correct most cases of iron deficiency anemia. You usually take iron pills 1 to 3 times a day. To get the most benefit from the pills, take them with vitamin C (ascorbic acid) pills or orange juice. Vitamin C helps your body absorb more iron.

symptoms of anemia in children

Anemia , symptoms of anemia or lack of blood, describes a condition in which a person suffers from a decrease in the level of hemoglobin or red blood cells (Erythrocytes), in relation to his age and sex.

Hemoglobin is made of a protein called globin and an iron-containing heme group (HEME).

Red blood cells and hemoglobin are responsible for transporting oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body’s cells, and transporting carbon dioxide from the body’s cells to the lungs.

A low level of hemoglobin leads to a decrease in the oxygen supply to body tissues and a decrease in the functionality of various body systems.

Symptoms of anemia

Anemia is not a disease in itself but rather a possible symptom of a number of conditions or diseases.

The main symptoms of anemia are:

  • Tired
  • Weakness and dizziness
  • headache
  • nervous
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Anorexia
  • fast heart rate;

Low hemoglobin in children causes weakness, drowsiness and pallor.

Anemia is diagnosed by a laboratory test called a blood count or complete blood count ( CBC ) . In this test, the number of red blood cells, the level of hemoglobin and a number of other measures are checked such as: mean red blood cell volume (MCV), average amount of hemoglobin in each red blood cell (MCH) and the ratio of the volume between the major and minor corpuscles (RDW) .

Sometimes more tests are done to check the cause of the anemia, such as: iron levels, iron-binding proteins (ferritin and transspirin), vitamins important for building hemoglobin (folic acid, vitamin B12) and checking hemoglobin structure (separation of globins in the electrophoresis field) .

The doctor must also examine the blood sample under the microscope and look at the structure and shape of the blood cells.

Physiological anemia

Hemoglobin begins to form in the fetus at the age of two months of pregnancy (the eighth week) . Fetal hemoglobin differs from hemoglobin in adults, due to the fact that the fetus receives oxygen from the mother’s blood as it passes through the placenta.

The production of fetal hemoglobin requires a large amount of iron obtained from the mother regardless of the status of the iron level in the mother, so it is recommended for every woman to get additional iron during pregnancy .

After birth, fetal hemoglobin (HB-F) begins to be destroyed, and adult hemoglobin (A-HB) begins. At the age of 2-3 months after birth, the hemoglobin level reaches its lowest level.

This is a natural process, characteristic of most children and stems from a decrease in the production of adult hemoglobin, the destruction of fetal hemoglobin and a rapid increase in weight and, accordingly, in blood volume. In most cases, the body repairs itself and the anemia goes away without any special treatment.

Types of anemia

Anemia can be divided into two main groups:

  • Type I : It is a defect in the production of hemoglobin and red blood cells. This is a relatively common cause of anemia. Most of the time, decreased hemoglobin production is due to iron deficiency. During the first year of his life, a child’s weight increases three times, as well as blood volume, which requires intensive production of hemoglobin.

 In the first year of life, the child is fed an iron-poor diet, so it is necessary to add iron to his diet. Iron is an important component of hemoglobin and when it is lacking, not enough hemoglobin is produced.

Only 10% of iron is absorbed from food, and there are substances such as vitamin C that improve its absorption in the digestive system , iron supplements should not be given with milk, which impedes its absorption. Iron is stopped at one year of age after a blood count test.

Symptoms of iron deficiency anemia in childhood can also be due to other reasons such as: absorption problems in the digestive system, lactose intolerance, and celiac disease (allergy to the gluten protein found in flour). In these cases, a defect in growth also appears.

Anemia leads to a decrease in the performance of various body systems, and requires treatment. In adolescents and adults, iron deficiency anemia can also result from a large loss of blood during the menstrual cycle or in the digestive system. The activity of some enzymes in the brain depends on iron, and their activity is also not damaged in severe deficiency, but there is research indicating a decrease in the ability to think and focus due to iron deficiency, which can be repaired by adding iron supplements.

This type of anemia is diagnosed when small red blood cells (microcytes), with a small amount of hemoglobin, and a large percentage of red blood cells (high RDW) appear. The level of iron and the proteins that carry it in the blood can be directly checked.

In severe cases, treatment is with oral administration of a high dose of iron. When there is a problem with absorption due to an intestinal disease, iron should be given directly into a vein. In cases of celiac disease or lactose intolerance, treating the underlying problem solves the iron absorption problem.

Other cases of production defect are lack of vitamins necessary to build hemoglobin, such as folic acid or vitamin B12 . These cases are relatively rare, and usually indicate a problem with the digestive system, a deficiency of B12 can also occur in vegetarians. In this type of anemia, red blood cells are large (microcytosis), and treatment is by supplementing the deficient vitamin.

  • Type 2: Increased red blood cell destruction or blood loss. The life span of blood cells is about 120 days. Increased destruction of red blood cells (hemolysis) occurs in a number of congenital, hereditary conditions.

A common cause of increased destruction is congenital spherocytosis. In this disease, there is a defect in the structure of the corpuscle because of a defect in the protein on the wall of the corpuscle. Treatment is with blood doses as needed, and later in life, removal of the spleen.

Another reason for the increased destruction of red blood cells is a congenital deficiency of the enzyme Glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase. In this case, there is no regular destruction of red blood cells unless they meet with a medicine or food such as beans, which leads to their rapid destruction.

Two additional conditions are rare genetic diseases:

  1.  Thalassemia ( Thalassemia ) , which is a hereditary disease caused by a quantitative imbalance in the production of a protein hemoglobin.
  2.  Sickle cell anemia ( Sickle Cell DISEASE ) , which is a genetic disease as a result of a defect in one of the two types of hemoglobin proteins occurs.

These two diseases are expressed by symptoms of severe anemia starting from the first year of life.

source : wikipedia

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