One of the medical conditions that can lead to shortness of breath is known as anemia. In this situation, the patient has a lower than normal amount of red blood cells, or RBCs. It can also refer to conditions where the level of hemoglobin is low. There are multiple types of anemia, and combining the different forms they are the most frequently found blood disorder.

Symptoms

As mentioned, one symptom that may appear in a patient with this illness is shortness of breath, which is also known as dyspnea. However, it doesn't need to show up. In fact, in many people, anemia goes undiagnosed for a period of time. The person may not experience any significant symptoms, but only minor ones which may be unclear.

Should symptoms occur, they may include items like a pale color on the skin, a sense of fatigue, worsened concentration, chest pain, and heart palpitations.

Causes

There are numerous underlying medical causes behind anemia. These are also categorized into different classifications. Deficiency of certain things such as iron or vitamin B12 can lead to forms of it. Kidney failure can as well. Sickle-cell disease and Rh disease are a couple of illnesses that may result in anemia. It can come as a complication after heart surgery. These are only several of the possibilities.

Diagnosis

The standard way to diagnose a case of anemia in an individual is by administering a complete blood count (CBC). It is not the only possible approach, however. Aside from checking the level of RBCs and hemoglobin, the CBC may also provide information that is useful in determining what the underlying cause of the anemia is.

Treatment

With the many medical reasons for anemia, there is a wide range of treatment options. The underlying cause can have a significant impact on which method is most appropriate. The severity of the anemia is also taken into consideration. A doctor or other professional is the one to work with the patient to select a treatment method. The information on this page is not professional in nature, nor is it specific to any individual case, so do not use it to try to choose a method to treat an illness. One of the possibilities is that something the patient is lacking sufficient amounts of can be supplemented, such as vitamin B12 when a lack of that is leading to anemia.