Anemia and Low Energy

Anemia is the common term given to a collection of over 400 individual disorders. These medical conditions are usually characterized by a decrease in the number of a patient’s red blood cells or a below average amount of hemoglobin in the blood. In some disorders, the problem is not the amount of hemoglobin in the blood, but rather the way it performs. As hemoglobin is responsible for transferring oxygen from the lungs to the other organs and tissues of the body, a decrease in amount or effectiveness can have a very strong reaction.

The most common symptom experienced by a person with an anemic disorder is low energy. This can be manifested as simply feeling weak or tired, but can also apply to a lack of mental concentration. In some anemia disorders, the reaction is to constantly be out of breath, thus adding to the feeling that the person has less energy. Some physical signs that a person may have anemia include jaundice of the skin, pale skin, angina, or leg ulcers. A person that has any of these signs and has noticed a lack of energy may wish to contact a local doctor to be tested for anemia.

In cases where a patient will require medical treatment for low energy due to anemia, there are two main options. Vitamin and mineral supplements may be able to correct the problem, with special attention paid to the iron mineral and vitamin C. However, severe cases may require that the patient have a blood transfusion to correct the lack of adequate hemoglobin. This is largely considered to be a last resort and is only used in critically ill patients or those who have suffered a large loss of blood. This is often due to an accident and the modern advances in transfusion technology have reduced the number of deaths due to anemia.