Table Of Content

Page i Understanding Anemia Understanding Anemia Understanding title: Health and Sickness Series author: Uthman, Ed. publisher: University Press of Mississippi isbn10 | asin: 1578060397 print isbn13: 9781578060399 ebook isbn13: 9780585031934 language: English subject Anemia--Popular works. publication date: 1998 lcc: RC641.U87 1998eb ddc: 616.1/52 subject: Anemia--Popular works. Page ii Understanding Health and Sickness Series Mirriam Bloom, Ph.D. General Editor Page iii Understanding Anemia Ed Uthman, M.D. University Press of Mississippi Jackson Page iv Copyright © 1998 by the University Press of Mississippi All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America 01 00 99 98 4 3 2 1 The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Uthman, Ed Understanding anemia / Ed Uthman. p. cm.(Understanding health and sickness series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-57806-038-9 (cloth : alk. paper).ISBN 1-57806-039-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. AnemiaPopular works. I. Title. II. Series. RC641.U87 1998 616.1µ52dc21 97-29076 CIP British Library Cataloging-in-Publication data available Page v Contents Acknowledgements and Dedication vii Introduction ix 1.What Is Anemia? 3 2.How Is Anemia Diagnosed? 20 3.Iron Deficiency Anemia 29 4.Vitamin Deficiency Anemias 45 5.Hemolytic Anemias 67 6.Inherited Anemias 91 7.Miscellaneous Anemias 117 Appendices A. A Mercifully Brief Note on the Metric 131 System B. A Whirlwind Review of Basic Cell 132 Biology C. Typical Normal Values for Common 134 Hematologic Lab Tests D. Bone Marrow Biopsy 134 E. Mistakes Doctors Make Concerning 135 Anemia F. Resources for Additional Information 137 Glossary 141 Index 149 Page vii Acknowledgements and Dedication Much of my gratitude for help with this book goes to those hematologists and hematopathologists who years ago taught me the basics of blood: Lemuel Diggs, Marion Dugdale, Carolyn Chesney, Charles Neely, John Shively, and Frank White. Nonphysician professionals involved in my training to whom I am no less grateful are James Mason, Ann Bell, Helen Goodman, and Pam Turpin. In more recent years, I have benefited from the knowledgeable comments of my highly valued physician colleagues, and each of these contributed knowingly or unknowingly to this book: Luther Burkett, William Grunow, Royce Joyner, Elizabeth Hartwell, Charles Conlon, and Charles Crumb. And, of course, there is my favorite physician, Margaret Uthman, to whom I am doubly indebted. I would like to express posthumous thanks to Isaac Asimov, whose books I have read from childhood on, and whose clarity of language and enthusiasm for knowledge will be forever worthy of emulation. While this book would not exist without the collective contribution of the people mentioned above, all opinions and errors here are ultimately mine. This book is dedicated to Margaret, Riss, and Drew. Page ix Introduction Anemia is one of the most common conditions encountered in medical practice, yet it is poorly understood by the general public and can even give experienced doctors problems. Individuals who are victims of serious diseases typically experience anemia at some point in the course of their illness. Others suffer from anemia and live long healthy lives, never knowing of their condition. While anemia may strike at any age, some people are born with it and must deal with its complications for life. Some anemias are severe, incurable, and life- shortening, while others are either inconsequential or respond readily to treatment. Treatment of anemia can be as simple as improving one's diet or as complicated as performing a bone marrow transplant. The purpose of this book is to introduce the reader to anemiaits classifications, causes, and treatments. The reader will learn that the various types of anemias are caused by different disturbances of physiology, and that ultimately there is a fundamental molecular basis for each. Every rare and esoteric anemia cannot be included here, but the common ones, which account for the overwhelming majority of cases of anemia, will be discussed in detail. The book begins with a brief discussion of the history of the study of blood, then covers the fundamental anatomy and physiology of the blood and blood-forming tissues. We will see what anemia does to the body and how doctors make a diagnosis. The role of routine lab tests is discussed and a simple method of classifying anemias into three broad categories described. We will examine the individual anemiasfirst those caused by deficiency of nutrients, then those resulting from excess destruction of blood cells. We will also look at the important hereditary forms of anemia and, finally, several miscellaneous conditions. This book is for the general reader with no medical training. It presumes a basic knowledge of biology at the high school

Description:

Each year thousands are told they suffer from anemia, but most have only a vague understanding of the condition. In fact, "anemia" is a generic term that includes myriad specific diseases, each of which has its own story regarding cause, manifestations, and treatments. Understanding Anemia gently bu