ANAEMIA IN HIV INFECTED INDIVIDUALS

Anemia is a condition in which the number of red blood cells (RBC’s) or the amount of haemoglobin is decreased in blood. The red blood cells and haemoglobin are responsible for carrying oxygen to vital organs throughout the body. Anamia is one of the most common blood abnormalities seen in people with HIV disease. The incidence of anemia ranges from 10% in people who have no symptoms to 92% in individuals with advanced.

TYPES OF ANAEMIA

MICROCYTIC  ANEMIA-This is where by the red blood cells are smaller than normal and the major causes of this type are iron deficiency anemia and thalassemia(inherited disorders of haemoglobin)

NORMOCYTIC ANEMIA- It is a nemia that accompanies chronic disease or anemia related to kidney disease. In this case the red blood cells are normal but low in number.

MACROCYTIC ANEMIA-In this case red cells are larger than normal. Major causes of this type are pernicious anemia and anemia related to alcolism.

CAUSES OF ANEMIA (GENERAL)

Many medical condition cause anemia.Common causes of anemia include the following;

ANEMIA FROM ACTIVE BLEEDING;

The loss of blood through heavy menstrual bleeding or wounds can cause anemia, gastrointestinal ulcers or cancers such as cancer of the colon may slowly ooze blood and can cause anemia.

IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA;

The bone marrow needs iron to make red blood cells. Iron plays an important role in the proper structure of the haemoglobin molecule. If iron intake is limited or inadequate due to poor dietary intake anemia may occur as result and this is called iron deficiency anemia.

ANEMIA OF CHRONIC DISEASE

Any long-term medical condition can lead to anemia. The exact mechanism of this process in unknown but any long-standing and on-going medical condition such as infection or a cancer may cause this type of anemia.

ANEMIA RELATED TO KIDNEY DISEASE

The kidneys release a hormone called the erythroietin that helps the bone marrow make red cells. In people with chronic (long-standing) kidney disease, the production of this hormone is diminished and this in turn diminishes the production of red blood cells causing anemia. This is called anemia related to chronic kidney disease.

ANEMIA RELATED TO POOR NUTRITION

Vitamin and mineral are required to make red blood cells. In addition to iron, vitaminB12 and folate are required to make the proper production of haemoglobin. Deficiency in any of these may cause anemia because of inadequate production of red blood cells. Poor dietary intake is an important cause of low folate and low vitamin B12 levels. Strict vegetarians who do not take sufficient vitamins are risk to develop vitamin B12 deficiency.

PERNICIOUS ANEMIA

There also may be problem in the stomach or the intestines leading to poor nutrition of vitaminB12. This may lead to anemia because of vitaminB12 deficiency known as pernicious anemia.

SICKLE CELL ANEMIA

In some individuals the problem may be related to production of abnormal haemoglobin molecules. In this condition the haemoglobin problem is qualitative, or functional. Abnormal haemoglobin molecules may cause problem in the integrity of the red blood cell structure and they may become crescent-shaped (sickle cells).There are different types of sickle cell anemia with different severity levels. This is typically hereditary and more common in those of African, middle Eastern and Mediterranean ancestry.

THALASSEMIA

This is another group of haemoglobin-related causes anemia. There are many types of thalassemia which vary in severity. These are also hereditary, but they cause quantitative haemoglobin abnormalities, meaning an insufficient number of haemoglobin molecules is made.

ALCOHOLISM

Poor nutrition and deficiencies of vitamins and minerals are associated with alcoholism. Alcohol itself may also be toxic to the bone marrow and may slow down the red blood cell production. The combination of  these factors lead to anemia in alcoholics.

BONE MARROW –RELATED ANEMIA

Anemia may be related to disease involving the bone marrow. Some blood cancers such as leukaemia or lymphomas can alter the production of red blood cells and result to anemia. Other process may be related to cancer from another organ spreading to bone marrow.

HEMOLYTIC ANEMIA

The normal red blood cell shape is important for its function. Hemolytic anemia is a type of anemia in which the red cells rupture (known as haemolysis) and become dysfunctional. This could happen due to a variety of reasons. Some forms of haemolytic anemia can be hereditary with constant destruction and rapid reproduction of red blood cells. This destruction may also happen to normal red blood cells in certain condition. In conclusion there are other less common cause of anemia include medication side effects, thyroid problems, cancers, liver disease, other genetic disorders, lead poisoning, AIDS, and bleeding disorders. It is noteworthy that there are many other potential causes of anemia that are not included in this blog and these are only the common and important ones.