Which Doctor Should I see if I have Anemia?

When it comes to health problems, many people become ignorant assuming that every other infection is the common cold, and a little rest and some warm soup will suffice to make problems go away. What they fail to realize is that this ignorance not only leads to unawareness of the disease or disorder but might also act as a bridge to worsen the condition.

Anemia, in simple terms, is a dysfunction occurring in the human body because of lead poisoning, chronic spine disorder, and smoking that even occurs in pregnancy cases. Apart from these known causes, many women also suffer from this problem because of their monthly menstrual cycles. Heavy menstrual periods can cause excessive blood loss that may pave way to incur high iron deficiency in the body.

Finding the reason for anemia can occur in a matter of moments, months, or even years. Whatever is the reason, this problem cannot be left unattended because of its overwhelming symptoms and negative effects it has on the human body. Proper medical procedures involving weekly visits to the doctor and setting up appointments are a must to-do task when suffering from anemia so that the reason can be identified by the doctor through tests and then could be cured before its dimensions increase.

Although, doctors of all disciplines are capable of diagnosing and treating anemia, however, during the journey to locate and cure the cause, a patient with anemia should consult one of following two types of specialists, i.e., he must either visit a gastroenterologist or a hematologist.

The gastroenterologist will look for causes associated with blood loss from the digestive system or problems related to absorption and digestion. Some of the causes they pursue include celiac diseases, H. pylori infections, bowel lesions or polps, hemorrhoids, and esophageal variances. They may also include evaluation of the kidney function to check and examine for the suitable production of erythropoietin (EPO) – a hormone produced by the kidney that stimulates the bone marrow to make blood cells. This set of diagnosis involves an ample amount of regularly conducted blood tests, urine samples, biopsies, and scans. 

The hematologist on the other hand, will look for causes associated with the blood forming organs and the systems that cause irregular blood cells or ones that no longer contribute to the functioning of the body. A hematologist may prescribe blood tests or a bone marrow aspiration procedure to carefully examine the whole situation.

Doctors who spend their lifetime earning the knowledge about anemic patients have their first duty to be defined as to perform the complete CBC test which is a short form for complete blood count test. The test is performed to find out how many hemoglobin molecules are present in the average areas of the body. It also determines the number of different germ fighting cells such as the white blood cells and the platelets in the body. The CBC is a pre-step towards the MCV test which helps to determine the size of the red blood cells and also helps doctors to focus on what type of anemia is prevailing in the body. This is extremely helpful for the doctor because proper medication can be allotted depending on the type of anemia patient.

Since anemia causes many organs to not function properly, it can result in failure of many organs such as kidneys which are the purification plant of the body. The kidneys purify the water leaving the body and extract the essential nutrients. Doctors who inspect patients suffering from anemia test the patients to track any kidney failures, if present and then make up proper plans to tackle that problem as well.

Other good doctors are also aware of the fact that anemia can act as a catalyst to internal bleeding which can be fatal for the patient. These doctors then take remedial actions and in rare cases, they may need to perform surgery to stop internal bleeding because it can reach the brain and cause clotting thus forcing the person’s brain to be dead or in simpler words, be in a state of coma.

If a person is suffering from anemia, he should visit a multi-specialty doctor who can provide all types of facilities that can be helpful in determining that no further damage has been done. In some severe cases, blood transfusions can also occur making the doctors inject different amount of cells through the chest of the patient. These cells then accumulate in the body by settling in different places of the bone marrow and produce new red blood cells which are more efficient and powerful than the damaged ones and hence help hoisting oxygen through organs while making the best use of iron.

Before fixing an appointment with the specialist, you must prepare yourself with a set of questions that you may need to ask him from your side. Making a list of questions or jotting down points that are bothering you helps both, you as well the doctor in determining and diagnosing the exact circumstances and the critical stage in which the disease lies. Ensure that you make a note of the symptoms that you've been having and for how long, some key personal information including any major stresses, implanted medical devices, exposure to toxins or chemicals, and recent life changes along with all sorts of medications, vitamins and supplements that you take. Following this,the person then needs to keep a steady diet for more than 4 weeks so that the body can accumulate proper iron in the body and the organs get used to the new cells in the body as well.

Anemic patients face a lot of stress, and only the doctor can treat them, both medically and psychologically. For this reason, the patient is time and again reminded of the fact that he must visit a doctor or a specialist like a gastroenterologist or a hematologist to procure proper treatment so that he is cured at the right time and saved from the pain of some serious symptoms.