Anemia Symptoms

oxygen to all parts of the body. No matter what kind of anemia you have—and there are several vari­eties—the symptoms tend to be the same.

Along with being pale and fatigued, you can feel weak and short of breath, your heart rate may climb, and you may find it hard to concentrate.

These symptoms occur because without sufficient hemoglobin in the red blood cells, all parts of the body, including the brain, are starved for oxygen. Thus, the heart tries to compensate by pumping more blood more often, explains by professional nutritionist.

Anemia Food Source

Doctors can usually diagnose anemia by examining red blood cells under a microscope to determine their shape, size, and number and by doing tests that measure levels of different blood components.

“Even after we’ve determined the type of anemia, it’s important to figure out what’s causing it,” Doctor says. Everything from excessive bongo playing (the constant impact on the hands damages blood cells) to arctic temperatures and toxic drugs can cause the disease.

“Nutritional deficiencies are a fairly common cause of anemia, too,” Nutritionist says. In addition to iron deficiency, a shortage of folate (the natu­rally occurring form of folic acid) or vitamin B12 can be a culprit. Rarely, the problem turns out to be an inadequate supply of copper, riboflavin, or vita­mins A, B6, C, or E.