Discussion: Anemia
In clinical settings, advanced practice nurses often encounter patients with blood disorders such as anemia. Consider the case of a 17-year-old girl who is rushed to the emergency room after suddenly fainting. The girl’s mother reports that her daughter has had difficulty concentrating for the past week, frequently becomes dizzy, and has not been eating normally due to digestion problems. The mother also informs the nurse that their family has a history of anemia. With the family history of anemia, it appears that this is the likely diagnosis. However, in order to properly diagnose and treat the patient, not only must her symptoms and family history be considered, but also factors such as gender, ethnicity, age, and behavior. This poses the question: How do patient factors impact the incidence and prevalence of different types of anemia?
To Prepare
Review Chapter 21 in the Huether and McCance text. Reflect on the pathophysiological mechanisms of iron deficiency anemia.
Select one of the following types of anemia: pernicious anemia, folate deficiency anemia, sideroblastic anemia, chronic inflammation anemia, or post-hemorrhagic anemia. Identify the pathophysiological mechanisms of the anemia you selected.
Consider the similarities and differences between iron deficiency anemia and the type of anemia you selected.
Reflect on how patient factors such as genetics, gender, ethnicity, age, and behavior might impact these anemic disorders.
Post an explanation of the pathophysiological mechanisms of iron deficiency anemia and the anemia you selected. Compare these two types of anemia, as well as their potential causes. Finally, explain how genetics, gender, ethnicity, age, and behavior might impact the anemic disorders you selected.
Anemia
Anemia is a condition that occurs in both adults and children as a result of iron deficiency in the blood leading to weariness or pallor. The causes of anemia vary depending on the type of blood disorder a person is facing. Post-hemorrhagic anemia is one of the types that occur due to loss of blood within a short period (Auerbach & Adamson, 2016). Pathophysiological mechanisms should be clearly understood to ensure a person can identify the disorder and take appropriate action before severe complications are manifested.
Iron Deficiency Anemia
Iron deficiency anemia occurs due to a lack of sufficient iron in the blood. The pathophysiological mechanisms involve depletion of iron stores thus causing deficiency. It can also result in poor uptake of the iron content from the gastrointestinal tract (Sekhar, Murray-Kolb, Kunselman, Weisman & Paul, 2016). The depletion of iron also reduces the hemoglobin mass in the blood. Low hemoglobin content results in poor uptake of oxygen in the lungs. The blood pressure may also be slow for a person with iron-deficient anemia (Podzolkov, Pokrovskaya, Vargina & Oganesyan, 2019). The mechanisms cause a person to be dizzy and may faint in severe cases. On the other hand, post-hemorrhagic anemia involves low blood pressure, low amount of hemoglobin and red blood cells. It causes poor circulation of oxygen in the blood due to poor uptake in the lungs.
Comparison
Iron deficiency anemia has various similarities and differences with post-hemorrhagic anemia. The difference is that iron deficiency anemia is caused by low amount of iron or hemoglobin mass in the body (McCance & Huether, 2018). The condition occurs due to depletion of iron stores or poor uptake of the iron content into the bloodstream. Conversely, post-hemorrhagic anemia is caused by sudden loss of blood during an accident, surgery, menstruation, or child delivery. Other causes include bleeding in the stomach due to ulcers and bleeding disorders such as hemophilia (McCance & Huether, 2018). The similarities between the two blood disorders are that they can be treated by taking healthy food and supplements that will increase the blood or iron content in the body. The two are associated with low blood pressure and other symptoms such as dizziness or fainting.
Anemia and Gender
World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that women at childbearing age are at risk of anemia due to various changes in their bodies (Wirth et al., 2017). The changes result in the loss of blood during child delivery and menstruation. They are at risk of post-hemorrhagic anemia. Women are also at risk of anemia since oral contraceptives also induce anemia due to excessive bleeding. Women also are at risk of uterine fibroids and recurrent urinary tract infections which cause anemia (Wirth et al., 2017). The various conditions expose women to sudden or continuous loss of blood which exposes them to post-hemorrhagic anemia. The condition can be addressed in women through a healthy diet or taking supplements.
Conclusion
Iron deficiency anemia and post-hemorrhagic anemia are some of the most common blood disorders. The two conditions occur due to low iron mass in the body which leads to poor circulation of oxygen in the body. Post-hemorrhagic anemia is common among women due to various biological changes such as monthly menstruation, childbearing and other infections such as uterine fibroids. It is important to understand the pathophysiological changes that occur as a result of anemia. The right and timely treatment should be sought to ensure the condition is addressed early.
References
Auerbach, M., & Adamson, J. W. (2016). How we diagnose and treat iron-deficiency anemia. American Journal of Hematology, 91(1), 31-38.
McCance, K. L., & Huether, S. E. (2018). Pathophysiology-E-Book: The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults and Children. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Podzolkov, V. I., Pokrovskaya, A. E., Vargina, T. S., & Oganesyan, K. A. (2019). Diagnostic difficulties of primary hemochromatosis in a patient with posthemorrhagic anemia. Terapevticheskii Arkhiv, 91(4), 118-121.
Sekhar, D. L., Murray-Kolb, L. E., Kunselman, A. R., Weisman, C. S., & Paul, I. M. (2016). Differences in risk factors for anemia between adolescent and adult women. Journal of Women’s Health, 25(5), 505-513.
Wirth, J. P., Woodruff, B. A., Engle-Stone, R., Namaste, S. M., Temple, V. J., Petry, N., … & Aaron, G. J. (2017). Predictors of anemia in women of reproductive age: Biomarkers Reflecting Inflammation and Nutritional Determinants of Anemia (Brinda) project. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 106(suppl_1), 416S-427S.
