What is it?
Anemia is a lack of red blood cells. These cells are important because they carry oxygen from the lungs around the body. It’s important to find and treat the cause of the anemia as well as the anaemia itself.
What are the symptoms?
- If you have anaemia, you will feel tired and short of breath, even when doing things you could usually do easily.
- You may also have a fast or irregular heartbeat, look pale, have cold feet or hands, feel dizzy or have problems thinking.
What to expect?
If you are diagnosed with anemia by a doctor you should seek medical help if:
- Your symptoms suddenly become much worse.
If you are diagnosed with anaemia you can consider discussing the following subjects with your doctor after the initial treatment:
- Was a specific cause found for your anemia?
- Sometimes anaemia is caused by a lack of iron, vitamine B12 or folate acid in the diet. Do you need to make changes in your diet?