Question 1

does anemia cause excessive thirst?

Accepted Answer

Usually not: Anemia is a lowering of the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood due to lack of red blood cells. There are many types and causes of anemia. None that i know of cause increased thirst. Having said that there are people who have iron deficiency anemia who suffer from eating ice cubes or other non-nutritive substances (called pica).

Question 2

i read anemia can cause excessive/increased thirst, but why exactly is this? (aside from sudden/alot of blood loss where volume needs to be made up)

Accepted Answer

Eating ice: Anemia associated with iron deficiency often cause a tendency to eating ice, not exactly thirst, but a behavior called pica.

Question 3

excessive fatigue even with full night's rest. no prior history of anemia or thyroid issues. not on any prescription meds. what could be the cause?

Accepted Answer

Sleep apnea: Do you snore?  Have you been evaluated for sleep apnea?  Fatigue even after a full night sleep is a trigger word for me to think about sleep apnea.  Discuss this with your doctor.

Question 4

what causes a very low blood count (6.2) i have no signs of blood loss, no bloody stools, no blood in the urine or stomach, no cuts or wounds, i also have excessive swelling in my legs & feet, extreme fatigue, pounding heart with any kind of physical acti

Accepted Answer

It : It is important to look at other parameters to determine the reason of your anemia. We usually look at mcv, RDW and MCH to determine what kind of anemia do you have. It is also important to look at the reticulocyte count to determine if your bone marrow is responding appropriately or not. Additionally, it will be helpful to do a blood smear and look at it under the microscope to determine what your red and white blood cells look like. Additionally checking iron level, ferritin level and iron binding capacity to see if you are iron deficient. We also sometimes check for vitamin B12 and folate (folic acid) to make sure they are not deficient. If no clear explanation found, it might be reasonable to do a bone marrow biopsy to rule out any bone marrow failure syndromes.

Question 5

can it be dangerous if your ferittin is only 4 ml at age 19 and have had constant anemia for over a year? what could be causeing it all to be low?

Accepted Answer

Low iron: For some reason your iron stores are low - ferritin is the "iron warehouse" of the body. Either u are losing iron (heavy periods?) or not getting enough in your diet. Some vegetarians for example don't eat enough foods with iron in them. Certainly u need this problem to be solved because iron is essential for blood cell production and anemia is no fun. Hopefully your primary doc can figure it out.

Question 6

i had unexplained anemia in 2009, i understand this is unusual for a male, they put it down to my diet, can that simply be the reason? im worried stil

Accepted Answer

It's possible: When a man over age 50 develops iron-deficiency anemia, doctors are trained to think about colon cancer, which can cause silent blood loss.  But if your anemia went away with a change in your diet, it was probably due to your diet!  lack of folate (folic acid) from leafy green vegetables, or lack of vit b12, can also cause anemia. Follow-up with your doc to make sure your anemia has resolved.

Question 7

why would a diabetic be anemic too?   how does diabetes cause anemia?

Accepted Answer

Chronic Kidney Disea: Diabetes is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease and chd causes anemia.One in five patients with diabetese and CKD have anemia.It may becaused by
1vitamin deficiency like folic acid;b12
2 major cause is due to iron and eryjthropoetin deficiency.50%of patiients with stage2-5 CKD have absolute or relative iron deficiency
erythropoetin deficiency  is due to reduced renal mass.

Question 8

can anemia be caused by a viral infection?

Accepted Answer

Yes viruses can : There are some viruses that stop blood production. Other viruses trigger an immune response that causes red cell destruction.

Question 9

what are the causes of anemia and b12 deficiency in a 75 yr old woman?

Accepted Answer

Poor diet: And/or decreased absorption of vitamin b12.

Question 10

have iron defiency anemia. my grandson had a brain avm that ruptured. could i have an  undiagnosed  avm that causes this?

Accepted Answer

Not really: First of all, iron deficiency anemia comes from losing enough blood over a long period of time to drop your blood counts.  This cannot happen from a brain avm or else you would have died a long time ago! second, you are not likely at any significant increased risk because your grandson had one.

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Doctor answers about:

What trace element excess can cause anemia

A member asked:

Does anemia cause excessive thirst?

A member asked:

I read anemia can cause excessive/increased thirst, but why exactly is this? (aside from sudden/alot of blood loss where volume needs to be made up)

A member asked:

Excessive fatigue even with full night's rest. no prior history of anemia or thyroid issues. not on any prescription meds. what could be the cause?

A member asked:

What causes a very low blood count (6.2) i have no signs of blood loss, no bloody stools, no blood in the urine or stomach, no cuts or wounds, i also have excessive swelling in my legs & feet, extreme fatigue, pounding heart with any kind of physical acti

A member asked:

Can it be dangerous if your ferittin is only 4 ml at age 19 and have had constant anemia for over a year? what could be causeing it all to be low?

A member asked:

I had unexplained anemia in 2009, i understand this is unusual for a male, they put it down to my diet, can that simply be the reason? im worried stil

A member asked:

Why would a diabetic be anemic too? how does diabetes cause anemia?

A member asked:

Can anemia be caused by a viral infection?

A member asked:

What are the causes of anemia and b12 deficiency in a 75 yr old woman?

A member asked:

Have iron defiency anemia. my grandson had a brain avm that ruptured. could i have an undiagnosed avm that causes this?

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