Question

What is anemia? There are different reasons triggering anemia and one of them is the lack of some micronutrients. What is/are those micronutrients? Why does/do it/they cause anemia?

Answer 1

Anemia is the deficiency in the circulating red blood cells (RBC) or healthy red blood cellsIin the blood. It is  also expressed in terms of reduced haemoglobin in blood. Haemoglobin is a protein found in the RBC that helps in the oxygen transport. Oxygen binds to haemoglobin forming oxyhaemoglobin and is carried all over the body. Inadequate amount of RBC results in adequate amount of haemoglobin and inadequate amount of oxygen transport.

There are many types of anemia depending upon the causitive agents. one among them is due to lack of micronutrients. Following Micronutrients deficiency trigger anemic conditions,

1. IRON : Iron deficiency anemia

2. VITAMIN A

3.VITAMIN B12 : Cyanocobalamin : Perinicious anemia

4.VITAMIN B9: Folic acid

5. VITAMIN B6 :pyridoxine

6 ZINC

7.VITAMIN D

Iron deficency anemia is the most commonest form of anemia. iron is an important mineral that is required to form haemoglobin.Deficiency in iron results in  production of small erythrocytes (RBC) reduced hemoglobin content which results in reduces the oxygen supply to the cells.

Vitamin B12:; It is a unique vitamin synthesized only by microorganisms. It is a hemopoietic vitamin, that is important for the formation of red blood cell together with folic acid and iron. It helps in the synthsis of heme .It is also needed for the absorption of iron, calcium and vitamins.

Vitamin B6: It helps in the synthesis of RBC together with vitamin B12. it is an hematopoietic vitamin.

Vitamin B9 : also an hematopoietic vitamin. All vitamins involved in the RBC synthesis have almost same function.

Vitamin A : vitamin a deficiency induces anemia by impairing the differentiation and proliferation of haematopoietic cells. Disturbing erythropoietin synthesis. reducing absorption and mobility of iron.

Zinc: deficiency of zinc causes hemolytic anemia. In this type of anemia red cells are destroyed at a faster rate than they are made.

Vitamin D : Deficiency of vitamin D causes impaired erythropoesis and resuting anemia. vitamin D receptors are prrsent in the bone marrow, deficiency causes reduced activation of erythroid precursors causing anemia.