“How long can anemia be left untreated?”

It is a very serious disease. Usually the patient feels tired, fatigue, sometimes unable to do their daily living activity. The complete blood count (CBC) is the most common test used to confirm anemia. It is part of the routine tests done. The complete CBC test the hemoglobin and hematocrit. The hemoglobin is the iron-rich protein part in the red blood cell that carries the oxygen. The hematocrit is a measure how much space the red blood cells take up in your blood. Low level of hemoglobin or hematocrit signify anemia. Everything has to do with the type of anemia and how it was acquired. For example, iron deficiency anemia due to blood loss or due to lack of nutrients, can be corrected by stopping the blood loss and eating food that are reach in iron. Diet: beans, dried fruits, eggs, lean red meat, salmon, iron-fortified bread and cereal, peas, tofu, dark green leafy vegetables (Spanish cucumber, broccoli) among others. No, anemia due to hereditary condition, the etiology (cause) of that condition needs to be assessed to find the right treatment. Severe anemia could be very serious. Loosing blood quickly can be fatal. The three main causes are red blood cell loss, lack of red blood production in the bone marrow or red cell destruction by the immune system. A hematologist would be a great choice. They will send the test to the lab. For analysis. But a complete work up is appropriate to find the etiology of the anemia. Thank you.

How anemic are you? If it’s severe, and you’re exhausted, short of breath, and lightheaded, you might need a transfusion of packed red cells. If you're just a little tired, it’s not an emergency, but the reason for the anemia must be sought so it can be fixed. Most common reason in a young woman is iron deficiency, either from heavy menses, having children, or both. The doctor needs to do a CBC, complete blood count, look at the slide, look for how small the red cells are, as they get small w/increasingly low iron, and make sure the white cells and platelets are okay. Platelets can go up from bleeding, iron deficiency, so that would go along. White cells should be normal. MCV, size of red cell should be normal to small, smaller if very anemic or if it’s been going on a while. Red cells live 120 days, so newer.