[ad_1]
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), anemia is defined as a concentration of hemoglobin below established thresholds. It is a widespread public health problem with major consequences for human health as well as for social and economic development. It can be badumed that in resource-limited areas a significant proportion of young children and women of childbearing age are anemic.
The WHO estimates at two billion the number of anemic people in the world and about 50% of cases of anemia that can be attributed to iron deficiency.
Dieudonné Bukaba, nutrition expert based in Kigali, says that anemia is a common condition that results from a lack of certain vitamins and some minerals. Not eating a balanced diet can lead to deficiency or malnutrition.
He says that iron deficiency anemia can occur when your diet is low in iron or if your health condition makes it difficult to absorb nutrients. This can also lead to a low level of red blood cells.
Bukaba adds that vitamin deficiency anemia occurs when a person does not consume or absorb enough vitamin B12 (eg, eggs, milk, cheese, dairy products, meat, fish, crustaceans and poultry or in the absence of vitamin B9 (such as fruits, vegetables, meat and vegetables). dairy products). This can give red blood cells an unusual shape and therefore not function properly, as well as for a wide range of bodily functions.
Private Kamanzi, a dietician at the Amazon Wellness Center of Remera Gasabo District, said that anemia is a disease that develops when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is an essential part of red blood cells.
The causes
Bukaba says that some people have low levels of nutrients needed because of low dietary intake of iron, vitamin B12 or folate. This is especially true for those who are eating a vegan diet or a "monotonous herbal diet."
A low dietary intake of vitamin C and the lack of intrinsic factor, a protein secreted by the stomach that facilitates the absorption of vitamin B12, makes it difficult to absorb nutrients, such as celiac disease .
Other causes may be due to health problems that prevent the body from making enough red blood cells, such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which affect how the body absorbs vitamins. , he added.
"Riboflavin and copper are also needed by the body to make red blood cells. If these two are missing from your diet or if a person can not absorb them, the risk of anemia is higher, "adds Bukaba.
He explains that factors that increase the risk of anemia include: problems related to hormone erythropoietin, which stimulates the formation of red blood cells in the bone marrow, such as kidney disease and cancer, which prevent the body from producing enough red blood cells
Some cancer treatments, he says, can damage bone marrow or reduce the ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen, damaged bone marrow, which can not produce red blood cells fast enough to replace those who die or are destroyed, this can lead to anemia.
"HIV or AIDS infection or the medicine used to treat this disease can lead to anemia. Alcohol consumption can affect the absorption of folate and vitamin B12, potentially leading to anemia, "says Bukaba.
He adds that some people are unable to make enough red blood cells from birth, which is aplastic anemia. Infants and children with aplastic anemia often need blood transfusions to increase the number of red blood cells in their blood. Some drugs, toxins and infectious diseases can also cause aplastic anemia.
Who is at risk?
Kamanzi points out that anemia is most common among children and young children of preschool age.
Statistics from the WHO show that 47.4% of people in this age group suffer from anemia, largely because of nutritional choices.
Kamanzi notes that children need more iron for growth and development.
He also said, "Pregnant women are at risk of anemia because in the first six months of pregnancy, the woman's fluid part of the blood or plasma increases more rapidly than the number of red blood cells. This reduces the blood and can lead to anemia. "
Adolescent girls lose a lot of blood during menstruation, which can also cause anemia, he adds.
Treatment
Kamanzi insists that the main way to treat or prevent anemia is to adopt a healthy diet. However, another treatment may include: regulating the quality of nutrients by increasing the intake of nutrient-rich foods and using vitamin supplements to promote the absorption of iron.
Source link
