Pass it on:)

Hello there friends!

so unfortunately, we have come to our very last post:"( (yes, we are indeed very disheartened) however! to end off on a high note, we would leave you guys with a video that holds a special place in our hearts. This video was shared with us by our lecturer and it really helped better visualise and conceptualise the biochemical portion of how sickle-cell anaemia works. And just like how our lecturer passed this video to us, we would very like to share it with you as well! We really hope it would help your understanding and that you enjoy watching this video as it is truly very entertaining:) so seat back and enjoy the show!

[if you're taking Biology in O' Levels, sickle-cell anaemia is actually one of the topics covered so it would help you in your preparations for the exam!;) ]

it was a really cool video wasn't it? Really hope you like this video as much as us:)

All good things have to come to an end and likewise, we have come to the end of the last post of our blog. We would both like to thank you immensely for taking time to read our blog and that one way or another it has benefited you:) Before we say goodbye for real, we would like to encourage you to share your new found knowledge on anaemia with your peers & family and pass it on! If at any point in time, you have any questions, we would always welcome them and would very much love to answer them so please leave them in the comment box below:) Once again, thank you so much for taking the effort to read our posts. 

BYE FRIENDS:)

-ANNEBIGAIL of ANAEMIFICATIONOLOGY :)

How do we treat anaemia

Hey there! Today we will be discussing on the various treatments available for anaemia.

- Changes in dietary changes and supplements

Some type of anaemia can be caused due to low vitamin and iron content in the body. Some of the common vitamins that are essential include folic acid and vitamin B12 as well as vitamin C to help in the absorption of the iron in the body. However, having said all these we must always remember that we must take all these supplements in moderation and maintain a healthy balance diet because there is an adverse reaction when we consume excessive amounts of vitamin and iron.

The video below gives us some examples of natural remedies for anaemia especially if you strongly believe in recovering the natural way.

- Prescription of medication as directed by the doctor
Sometimes medication will be given to patients to help treat an underlying cause of anaemia or help increase blood count in patients. Such medications include:

• Antibiotics to fight infections that might be present in patients

• For women with heavy menstrual bleeding, hormones pills might be given to help regular healthy levels of hormones

• Man- made version of erythropoietins that helps to stimulate patient's body to produce more red blood cells. However, there are some risks involved in this treatment

• Medication to prevent the body's immune system from destroying its very own red blood cells

• Chelation therapy for patients with lead poisoning. This treatment is more commonly used on children as children with iron- deficiency anaemia have a higher risk of lead poisoning.

In cases when server anaemia cases, doctors might recommend that patients undergo medical treatment such as blood transfusion, bond and marrow stem cells treatment or even a surgery.

Blood transfusion: A safe, common medical treatment that provides blood that matches donor and patient's blood through a intravenous (IV) line into patient's blood vessels. This helps to ensure that patients would not have anaemia due to excessive loss of blood.

Bone and marrow stem cells treatment: This transplant is similar to blood transfusion because instead of donating blood, stem cells are are donated from donor to patient through a tube a tube placed in a vein in the chest. This treatment helps to replace faulty stems cells in the body with healthy stem cells from the donor. These stem cells are made in the bone marrow which develops red and white blood cells for the body. Thus, this ensures that there will be an healthy level of red blood cell count in anaemic patients.

Surgery: As mention, some anaemia can be caused due to excessive loss of blood in the body. For such cases where patients have stomach ulcer, colon cancer or any other disorder which causes excessive internal bleeding, doctors would encourage patients to go for a surgery to control and stop the bleeding. For cases where the patient's spleen destroys red blood cells at a high rate, doctors might advice that patients have their spleen removed to ensure that the red blood cells are not destroyed prematurely.

Hope this post gave you a better understanding of the current treatments for anaemia. Please keep a look-out for our next post and till then, have a good week!!!:)

-ANNEBIGAIL:)

References:

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/anemia/treatment 

Our Hero, IRON!

There is no sincerer love than the love of food.

George Bernard Shaw

Everyone has a passion for food so what better topic to discuss today than food!!! As discussed in our previous blog post, anaemia may result when the body is iron deficient. One way to maintain healthy levels of iron in the body is to ensure that we consume sufficient iron in our diets. However, what are the foods that are the foods that are high in iron? 

Here are 10!:)

1. Red Meat
• Beef, lamb, liver, kidneys

2. Fish
• Sardines, Anchovies

3. Shellfish
• Prawns, Crabs, Mussels

4. Eggs

5. Nuts and seeds
• hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pine nuts

6. Leafy green Vegetables
• Kale, Spinach, Broccoli

7. Beans and pulses

• Baked beans, peas, chickpeas, black-eyed beans, kidney beans.

8. Dried Fruits

• Raisins, Prunes

   9. Chocolate

   10. Cereal

Sorry if we made you drool looking at so much food;) We didn't mean it! Nonetheless, we hope you enjoyed looking through all these iron-rich food:) if you know of any other foods that are rich in iron, do share it with us in the comments box below! Have a great dinner, I mean, day!:)

-ANNEBIGAIL :)

ps. consuming vitamin C would help your body better absorb the iron so why not grab a glass of orange juice along with your meal!

References

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/11/26/1353950611831/Rib-of-beef-006.jpg

http://russgeorge.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/sardines-can.jpg

http://www.fish-co.com/admin/uploads/menus/13990207281497.jpg

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1475151/images/o-NUTS-facebook.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7105/7237535962_0ae3b02942_c.jpg

http://www.shamatapilates.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/kale.jpg

http://media3.onsugar.com/files/2013/01/02/2/192/1922729/2e458a024fbc274e_beans_2.preview.jpg

http://faron.eu/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Dried%20Fruit%20Mix.jpg

http://dreamatico.com/data_images/chocolate/chocolate-1.jpg

http://pickyeaterblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/iStock_000017325584Small1.jpg

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/diets-suitable-for-people-with-anaemia

It's video time!

Hey friends! How has your day been? Today, for a change, we would like to share a video that we came across that we thought might aid your understanding of anaemia (: Enjoy, and if you have any burning questions for us, you are more than welcome to leave a comment in the comment box below!

Hang in there because you are finally are one day away from the weekends!

Have a fantastic weekend(:

-ANNEBIGAIL (:

Anaemia due to destruction of red blood cells

Hello there, we are back once again. Today we will be discussing about how the destruction of red blood cells leads to anaemia or to be more specific hemolytic anaemia. Hemolytic anaemia happens when the red blood cells are destroyed prematurely. The usual life span of a healthy red blood cell is about 110-120 days but for hemolytic red blood cells the life span can be as short as five days! The bone marrow, a soft, spongy tissue inside of the bones that produces red blood cells, is unable to keep up with the fast rate at which the red blood cells are being destroyed and thus this leads to a drop in red blood cell count in patients with anaemia.

There are a few problems that causes hemolytic anaemia. These include:

Inherited abnormalise in the red blood cell membrane	The red blood cell membrane holds all the fluid within the cell and helps to maintain it’s biconcave shape. When there is a defect, it causes the red blood cell to change its shape, causing the spleen, the site where red blood cells are being destroyed, to recognise them as abnormal and therefore destroying them. Eg. Hereditary sherocytosis (a genetic disorder of the red blood cells where its surface area is smaller than normal and this causes it to break more easily)
Inherited enzyme deficiencies inside the red blood cells	Abnormal levels of enzyme in the red blood cell causes the red blood cell to be fragile and thus easily destroyed by the spleen. Eg. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency (the red blood cells do not produce sufficent G6PD/ the enzyme produced is abnormal and does work well).
Physical damage to red blood cells	Red blood cells might be damanged due to circumstances such as: during a heart and lung surgery when red blood cells flow past devices that are implanted into patient’s body especially artificial heart valves patients who experience server burns might cause red blood cells to be damaged due to exposure of extreme heat
Hypersplenism	Under such conditions, the spleen in patient’s body is overactive and enlarged and it traps the circulating red blood cells and destroys them even before their lifespan is up.
Hemoglobin disorders	Hemoglobin is a protein found within the red blood cell that binds to oxygen. Sometimes patients might obtain a gene that causes the hemoglobin to be abnormal which leads to disorders such as sickle cell anaemia (which was explained in the previous blog post) and thalassemia (a disorder in which red blood cells are rapidly destroyed and the iron is deposited at the vital organs of the body).
Autoimmune hemolytic anaemia	The immune system mistakes the red blood cells as foreign invaders and thus destroys its own red blood cells. This can be caused by conditions such as lupus (inflammatory disease that causes one’s body immune system attack the body’s tissues and organs), certain types of medication and infections.

Having said all these, there are some special cases when the cause is left unknown. But we hope that the past few blog posts has helped you better understand the three main causes of anaemia. Do stay tune for more updates from us as we explore more about the science of anaemia. Till then, take care and all the best in school (:

- ANNEBIGAIL :)

References:

http://www.drugs.com/health-guide/hemolytic-anemia.html

http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/heart/anemia.html#

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lupus/basics/definition/con-20019676

http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/images/upload/health/NGYwMjE4ZDIyMTgzYTRkMTVkZDhlZDZiZDk5ZTRl/760_450/Splenomegaly.jpg

Anaemia due to Decreased or Faulty Red Blood Cell Production

 Hey there!

Hope you guys are doing well and hanging in there for school:) Anyway, today we will be discussing about how decreased or faulty red blood cell formation leads to anaemia.

When there is a decrease in the number of red blood cells being produced or error during the formation of red blood cells, this leads to anaemia as your body no longer has the required number of healthy red blood cells to function normally and oxygen transport is compromised.

Some examples of these types of anaemia would be:

·        

       

•     Sickle Cell Anaemia

Normal red blood cells are biconcave in shape and look like doughnuts. However, in sickle cell anaemia, the red blood cells are stiff and sticky due to the abnormal haemoglobin present in red blood cells of people with sickle cell anaemia. This abnormal haemoglobin starts to polymerise and form chains which cause the red blood cell to become sickle-shaped (crescent-shaped) and rigid. Blood Vessels can become blocked because of this, causing pain and organ damage as blood can no longer flow smoothly to some parts of the body.

Sickle cells also have shorter life spans (~10-20 days) than compared to normal red blood cells (~120 days). As the production of new blood cells is not rapid enough to replace the dying ones, there would not be enough red blood cells to transport oxygen around the body for optimal performance.

•  Aplastic Anaemia

The bone marrow is a sponge-like tissue that produces red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Aplastic anaemia, also known as bone marrow failure, is a disorder where the bone marrow is unable to produce adequate numbers of red blood cells as the bone marrow’s stem cells are damaged.  As the damaging of stem cells can be due to various reasons, this condition may be inherited as well as acquired.

·         Iron Deficiency Anaemia

This form of anaemia is actually is the most common. Iron is a key component of haemoglobin in red blood. Hence, when the body’s iron storage is low, the body is no longer able to produce enough haemoglobin, causing the red blood cells to be unable to transport oxygen effectively. Factors that cause the decrease in iron storage of the body:

1.       Iron poor diet

2.       Menstruation

3.       Frequent blood donation

4.       The metabolic demands of pregnancy and breastfeeding that deplete a woman's iron stores

5.       Digestive conditions such as Crohn's disease or surgical removal of part of the stomach or small intestine

6.       Illness

Hope you got a better idea of how decreased or faulty red blood cell production can lead to anaemiaJ If you have any questions regarding the things we have discussed or even anything regarding anaemia, do feel free to drop us a comment! Remember to keep a lookout for our next post on how anaemia can be caused by the destruction of red blood cellsJ

-ANNEBIGAIL:)

p.s. here is a video about a teen living with sickle cell anaemia. Do watch it to find out more about the daily life of someone with sickle cell and learn more about this inspirational boy, Nicholas. Enjoy:)

References:

http://www.99healthplus.com/2012/anemia-caused-due-to-decrease-or-fault-in-red-blood-cells-production/

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sca

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000584.htm

https://deenoverduniya.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/anemia-aplastic2.jpg

https://drclintonb.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/anemia1.jpg

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-anemia-basics

Anaemia due to Blood Loss

If you are wondering why or how blood loss causes anaemia,  you are in luck as that is what we will be discussing today! Anaemia caused by excessive bleeding is caused when the production of red blood cells by the bone marrow is much slower than the rate at which red blood cells are lost during bleeding. In fact, this is one of the most common cause that leads to this disorder in many anaemic patients. 

When the body experiences a drop in blood volume, its defense mechanism in response to this is to absorb water into the blood vessels so that the volume within it will be kept constant. However when this happens, it causes the dilution of blood, reducing the percentage of blood cells in the total blood volume (also known as hematocrit). With lesser red blood cells present in the body, it directly leads to the body receiving lesser oxygen, often causes symptoms such as tiredness, lethargy and even dizziness.

The loss of blood in anaemic patients can occur in 2 ways:

Rapid loss of blood

Chronic blood loss

This method of blood loss is usually brought about due to an injury, surgery, childbirth or even a rapture of one of the blood vessels. The sudden loss of large volumes of blood causes one’s blood pressure to drastically decrease due to the decrease in fluid volume within the blood vessel. Patients would usually feel very dizzy in this case and would usually be advised by doctors to go for a transfusion of red blood cells would be done to ensure that blood pressure is about to maintain at healthy levels.

Chronic blood loss can be caused due to a variation of reasons which may be seen in large and small amounts depending on the disorder. Nosebleed or hemorrhoids are examples of chronic disorder in the body that evidently produces large amount of blood over a period of time. The occult way of blood loss which is also known as gradual blood loss can be seen thru the loss of blood through stools. Although there are times where blood stains cannot be seen on stools but collectively over long periods of time a significant about of blood may be loss. Other disorders that has this effect include cancer or ulcers along the alimentary canal, tumours in the kidney or bladder and even heavy menstrual bleeding for women. As this bleeding is chronic and not excessive, many who experience it will feel fatigued and weak from time to time. In such cases, doctors would encourage patients to have iron rich diet as well as prescribe iron supplements so as to ensure that the iron level in the blood stream would not drop below the healthy range.

We hope that what we have shared has enlightened you regarding anaemia due to blood loss. If you have any queries or questions about this, do drop us a question in the commentary box below. Stay tune for more updates from us as we continue to explore on the other causes of anaemia!

Before we go, here are two comics we have prepared for you in case you were in need of some iron (jokes)! ;)

-ANNEBIGAIL :)

Reference:

http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/blood-disorders/anemia/anemia-due-to-excessive-bleeding

https://s3.amazonaws.com/lowres.cartoonstock.com/health-beauty-iron-anemic-supplements-golf_irons-golfer-dpan3081_low.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/7b/23/d0/7b23d0516042644cabc379a257b74c2b.jpg

http://www.aviva.co.uk/library/images/med_encyclopedia/cfhg399blotra_001.jpg