Anemia, as known to many, is a medical condition triggered by low hemoglobin levels. More than often, iron deficiency acts as a catalyst giving rise to anemia. While fatigue, headache, palpitations, skin pallor, and dizziness are characteristic of anemia, many people also suffer from hair loss. Here too, the iron deficiency acts as contributing factor interfering with the healthy growth cycle of the hair. In some cases, the hair loss may mimic the male and female pattern baldness as observed in the case of Alopecia. While anemia and the related hair loss can affect anyone irrespective of their age and sex, women of reproductive age, as well as teenagers, are more susceptible to this. In this article, we will discuss the anemia and iron deficiency induced hair loss in brief and the preventive measures to deal with the situation.

Anemia-related Hair Loss
In anemia, there is a significant fall in the hemoglobin level. Hemoglobin acts as an oxygen carrier to different body cells and tissues, including those of the hair follicles to ensure healthy cell growth and repairment. Low hemoglobin levels result in inadequate oxygen supply, one of the prime factors responsible for hair loss.

Ferritin, a storage protein (cellular protein) for iron contributes significantly towards a healthy growth cycle of the hair (stimulates the anagen or the growth phase). In the case of anemia, to meet the iron requirements of the vital organs such as the heart, the body starts utilizing the ferritin stored in hair bulb and other non-essential tissues. This dip in the ferritin level affects the hair growth. A ferritin blood test often helps in the diagnosis of iron deficiency and anemia.

Preventive measures to deal with anemia related hair loss
With the iron deficiency and the associated symptoms being taken care of, the anemia triggered hair loss can be controlled and reversed. In addition to the medications and treatment, one also needs to take care of their general health and lead a healthy lifestyle.

Never go for self-medication. It will only worsen the situation. Two individuals can have the same medical problem but triggered by different factors. Always consult a doctor before trying any medicines.
Follow a healthy diet: People dealing with anemia and iron deficiency should enrich their diet with foods rich in iron such as lean meat, liver, spinach, beetroot, nuts and dry fruits (walnuts, almonds), prunes, parsley, broccoli (the florets), to name a few. Foods rich in vitamin C, almonds, are known to promote hair growth.
Avoid drinking tea between meals as this unhealthy practice is known to interfere with the absorption of iron.
Maintain a healthy hair care routine
Oil massage your hair at least twice a week.
Be gentle while combing the hair.
Try and use a mild shampoo (or as the doctor recommended).
Avoid excessive use of hair styling products and chemicals.

Anaemia And Hair Loss - What Should You Do?

Iron deficiency anemia is a type of anemia, which occurs due to deficiency of iron. Iron is the main component of hemoglobin. So, a decrease in the hemoglobin level results in iron deficiency anemia.
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What are the Signs and Symptoms of Iron Deficiency Anemia?

Signs and symptoms appear when anemia is moderate to severe. In the mild stage, iron deficiency anemia often goes unnoticed. The signs and symptoms of iron deficiency anemia are:

Extreme fatigue (weakness)
Pale skin and brittle nails
Reduced  appetite
Headache, dizziness, or lightheadedness
Cold hands and feet with tingling numbness
Chest pain, palpitations, or shortness of breath
Inflammation or soreness of the tongue
Unusual cravings for indigestible substances, such as ice, dirt, or starch. 
What are the Causes of Iron Deficiency Anemia? 

Inadequate iron intake: Your body gets iron from the food you eat. If you consume too little iron, then your body may become iron deficient. Hence, resulting in anemia.
Inability to absorb iron: Iron is absorbed into your bloodstream from the food in your small intestine. In conditions like an intestinal disorder, this absorption of iron is hampered which results in iron deficiency anemia. Also, when your small intestine is bypassed or removed surgically, absorption of iron is hampered.
Blood loss: Red blood cells in your blood contain iron, and if the blood loss is severe, you can end up having iron deficiency. Conditions, such as bleeding hemorrhoids, colorectal cancer, and heavy menstruation can result in iron deficiency anemia.
Pregnancy and lactation: During pregnancy and lactation period, the iron requirement of the mother is more, and when it is unfulfilled, she may end up having iron deficiency anemia. 
Which Group is at Risk? 

Vegetarians
Women
Infants and children 
Frequent blood donors
How is it Diagnosed?

Diagnosis is made with the help of: 

Patient s history  
Blood tests, such as CBC and serum ferritin
Some additional tests, such as colonoscopy, endoscopy, and sonography to diagnose the underlying cause
Treatment

Treating the underlying cause is the primary step. 

Severe cases: When the iron level is too low, blood transfusion and even intravenous iron is given
Mild to Moderate Cases: Iron and vitamin C supplements are given in mild and moderate cases of iron deficiency anemia.
Can you Prevent Iron Deficiency Anemia?

Yes. You can prevent iron deficiency anemia by including iron-rich foods in your diet, such as:

Dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, peas, and beans
Dry fruits, such as raisins and apricots
Red meat, pork and poultry, and seafoodIron-fortified cereals, bread, and pasta
Include vitamin C-rich foods in your diet to enhance iron absorption. Vitamin C is found in Grapefruit, oranges, strawberries, lemons, and melonsLeafy greens, broccoli, peppers, and tomatoes

Iron Deficiency - What Are The Possible Signs And Symptoms?

Anemia (or anaemia) is a medical condition which generally occurs in a human body because of the lack of required healthy red blood cells (RBCs) or hemoglobin in the blood. Diagnosis of anemia is done through a blood test, a man is anemic when his hemoglobin level is less than 13.5 gram/100 ml and a woman is anemic when her hemoglobin level is less than 12.0 gram/100 ml.

Risk factors: People suffering from long-term or chronic diseases such as cancer are more susceptible of developing anemia. Hemoglobin is the salient constituent of red blood cells and is an iron rich protein. It provides the red color to the blood and binds oxygen. Red blood cells carry this oxygen to all the vital tissues and organs of the body. Due to lack of appropriate amount of red blood cells, the amount of blood required in a body to function normally is also low. One of the most prominent causes of occurrence of anemia is the deficiency of required amount of nutritional iron, vitamin B-12, and folate in the body. This iron is needed for the formation of hemoglobin. Apart from these causes, the other causes of anemia comprise of the following:

Loss of blood
Insufficient production of red blood cells (inadequate intake of iron, vitamin B-12)
Fast rate of destruction of red blood cells (disorders of liver and hemorrhage)
Diagnosis: It is relatively easy to detect an anemic person. The symptoms of anemia include pale appearance, complaint of cold, giddiness, unsteadiness, laziness, particularly when the person is in action or is standing up. Sometimes people suffering from anemia crave for eating clay, ice, or even dirt. Also, there are complains of exhaustion along with issues of constipation and concentration. Other indications of anemia are brittle nails, gasps for breath even in mild activities, and pain in the chest. Since the level of oxygen in the blood is low, there could be even scope of a heart attack.

A person suffering from anemia is usually diagnosed on the basis of a complete blood count. The blood test brings out if serum folate levels are quite low. In case the anemia is severe, sometimes doctors take the help of erythropoietin injections so as to foster the production of red blood cells in the bone marrow. In case there is bleeding or if the level of hemoglobin is low, it might become essential to carry out blood transfusion.

Treatment: Anemia is straightforward to diagnose and treat, but at the same time could prove to be deadly if it is left undiagnosed. Proper heed should be paid to the intake of adequate and required food which is rich in vitamins and minerals, dietary iron, folic acid, including other vitamins and minerals.

Anemia- How Does It Affect a Person's Health?

Anemia makes you go low on energy. It is usually because your Haemoglobin is lower than normal. Normal range for females is 12- 14 gm & for males 13 - 15 gm. This technically means that the count of your red blood cells is abnormally low, so it can't carry enough oxygen to all parts of your body. This causes paleness and symptoms like generalized weakness, fatigue, low concentration, giddiness, and palpitations .
 
Follow these 7 home remedies to beat Anemia- 

1) Remember the ‘Apple a day’quote - it is more true for an Anemic than for anyone else.
2) Not just Apple, consume a ripe banana with 1 tbsp of honey twice a day. Honey helps in increasing the haemoglobin in blood. It is rich in iron, copper and manganese.
3) Soak handful of currants (munakka) for 4 hours. Remove seeds and have it every morning.
4) Mix a cup of beetroot juice, a cup of apple juice with honey and have it once a day. 
5) Have lots of green, leafy vegetables like spinach and cabbage. Tomatoes are very good too.
6) Consume fruits rich in iron such as watermelons, raisins, grapefruits, tomatoes, apples, bananas, oranges, strawberries and avocados.
7) Non vegetarian sources are rich in vitamin B12, which also increases HB. Have egg yolk, meat, seafood like tuna, clams, catfish, salmon, oysters and sardine.

Click on consult privately to ask me any questions that you might have on Anemia. Wishing you good health.

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Anemia - It's more common than you think it is.

Anemia is a medical condition in which the red blood cell count or hemoglobin is less than normal. Haemoglobin is the main part of red blood cells and it binds oxygen. If you have few or abnormal red blood cells, or your hemoglobin is low, the cells in your body will not get enough oxygen. Anemia can last temporarily or for a long-term, and it can range from mild to severe. If you suspect you have anemia, see your doctor immediately because it can be a warning sign of a serious illness. A person who has anemia is called anemic.

Sign and symptoms of anemia: Because a low blood cell count decreases oxygen delivery to every tissue in the body, anemia can cause a variety of signs and symptoms. It can also worsen the state of any other underlying medical condition. If anemia is mild, it may not cause any symptoms. If anemia is chronic, the body may adapt and compensate for the change. In this case, there may not be any symptoms until anemia becomes more severe. Anemia signs and symptoms may vary depending on the cause of the condition. These may include fatigue, weakness, pale or yellowish skin, irregular heartbeats, breathlessness, dizziness, chest pain, cold hands and feet, and headache.

Causes of anemia: Anemia occurs when your body doesn t have enough red blood cells. This can happen if: 

Your body doesn t make enough red blood cells: The bone marrow is essential for the creation of red blood cells. A number of diseases can affect the bone marrow, including leukemia, where too many abnormal white blood cells are produced. This disrupts normal production of red blood cells.
Bleeding causes you to lose red blood cells more quickly than they can be replaced: Iron deficient anemia is the most common type of anemia which often falls into this category. It is caused by a shortage of iron, which most often results due to blood loss. Blood loss can be acute and rapid or chronic. Rapid blood loss can happen at the time of surgery, childbirth, trauma, or a ruptured blood vessel. 
Your body destroys red blood cells: Red blood cells have a lifespan of 120 days in the bloodstream but they can be destroyed or removed beforehand. In one type of anemia, the body s immune system mistakenly identifies its own red blood cells as a foreign substance and attacks them. Excessive red blood cell breakdown can also occur due to infections, the use of certain drugs, snake or spider venom, severe hypertension, and in the case of clotting disorders.
Treatment of anemia: The treatment of anemia varies greatly. First, the underlying cause of anemia needs to be identified and corrected. Most of the times, iron supplements will be needed to correct iron deficiency. In severe anemia, blood transfusions may be necessary. Vitamin B12 injections are necessary in some cases who are suffering from a specific type of anemia.

Prevention of anemia: Many types of anemia can t be prevented. But iron deficient anemia and vitamin deficient anemia can be avoided by having a diet that includes a variety of vitamins and nutrients, including iron, folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin C.

Anemia - What Causes It?

Thalassemia is a genetic (which is passed from parents to children through genes) blood disorder. People with Thalassemia disease are not able to make enough hemoglobin, which causes severe anemia. Hemoglobin is found in red blood cells and carries oxygen to all parts of the body. When there is not enough hemoglobin in the red blood cells, oxygen cannot get to all parts of the body. Organs then become starved for oxygen and are unable to function properly.

Symptoms

The symptoms depend on the type of thalassemia:

Thalassemia Minor: Thalassemia minor usually doesn t cause any symptoms. If it does, it causes minor anemia.
Beta-thalassemia: Beta-thalassemia comes in two serious types, which are thalassemia major, or Cooley s anemia, and thalassemia intermedia. The symptoms of thalassemia major generally appear before a child s second birthday. The severe anemia related to this condition can be life-threatening. Other signs and symptoms include:
fussiness
paleness
frequent infections
a poor appetite
failure to thrive
jaundice, which is a yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes
enlarged organs
This form of thalassemia is usually so severe that it requires regular blood transfusions.

Alpha-thalassemia: Alpha-thalassemia also has two serious types, which are hemoglobin H disease and hydrops fetalis. Hemoglobin H disease can cause bone issues. The cheeks, forehead, and jaw may all overgrow. Hemoglobin H disease can cause:
jaundice, which is a yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes
an extremely enlarged spleen
malnourishment
Hydrops fetalis is an extremely severe form of thalassemia. It occurs before birth. Most individuals with this condition are either stillborn or die shortly after being born.

Thalassemia - Symptoms Based on Types of Thalassemia 

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