Anemia Awareness: Factors That May Put You At Risk

Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare June 25, 2014

Anemia is a condition in which your blood has a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells. It can also occur if your red blood cells lack necessary amounts of hemoglobin—the iron-rich protein that gives blood its red color and helps red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. There are many types of anemia.

Anemia can cause you to feel tired or weak because your body isn’t getting enough oxygen-rich blood, with symptoms ranging from shortness of breath to dizziness and headaches. Severe or long-lasting anemia can damage your heart, brain and other organs, and in severe cases, it can result in death.

Del Sol Medical Center recently opened the Anemia Center for Blood Management & Pre-Surgical Assessment, designed to treat El Pasoans with blood management diseases in an outpatient setting. Del Sol Medical Center, through its Patient Blood Management program, has reduced red blood cell transfusions by 43 percent, and it is working to continue reducing the amount of transfusions by more than 60 percent. With the center’s use of IV iron therapy, patient iron stores are returned to normal limits, allowing the body to reverse iron deficiency and return hemoglobin levels to normal limits within three-to-six weeks.

To recognize this latest stride in anemia care, Hector Zepeda, M.D., medical director of the Anemia Center, and Nagender Mankan, M.D., hematologist at Del Sol Medical Center, are educating the public on factors that may put a patient at risk for anemia.

Risk factors for anemia include:

A diet that is low in iron, vitamins or minerals
Blood loss from surgery or an injury
Long-term or serious illnesses, such as kidney disease, cancer, diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis
Long-term infections
A family history of inherited anemia, such as sickle cell anemia or thalassemia
Childbirth

Some types of anemia can be addressed with dietary changes and supplements, including recommended levels of iron, folic acid, and vitamins C and B12. However, medication, a blood transfusion or surgery may also be required for treatment. Although inherited anemia cannot be prevented, you can discuss prevention and treatment options with your doctor and formulate a treatment plan for ongoing care suited to your needs.

For more information on the Anemia Center for Blood Management & Pre-Surgical Assessment, please visit DelSolMedicalCenter.com or call Bradford Ray, RABT, PBMT, BC, director of Patient Blood Management at (915) 595-9224.