Anemia treatment

The treatment for anemia depends on the underlying illness causing it.

Blood Loss anemia:
If you suddenly lose a large volume of blood, you may be treated with fluids, blood transfusion, oxygen, and possibly iron to help your body build new red blood cells. Chronic blood loss is treated by identifying the source of bleeding, stopping the bleeding.

Iron deficiency anemia:
Treatment will depend upon whether an individual is not getting enough iron in the diet (increase iron intake); not absorbing iron (surgery for celiac sprue, etc.); or losing small amounts over time due to anything from alcoholic gastritis to medication abuse to tumors. The doctor will often recommend iron-rich foods (such as liver, seafood, dried fruits, lima beans, whole grains, green leafy vegetables and blackstrap molasses) or iron pills. In the more severe cases of iron deficiency anemia caused by blood loss, surgery, blood transfusions or hormone injections may be recommended.

Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia:
Treatment will depend on the cause of the deficiency. If your body stores are depleted of vitamin B-12, your doctor will most likely prescribe vitamin B-12 injections and may also recommend high doses of B-12 supplements or a B-12 nasal spray. There is a good chance that many of the symptoms of deficiency will improve once the body is provided with the needed B-12. Most people with vitamin B-12 deficiency have a permanent inability to absorb vitamin B-12 and will need injections every one to three months or pills daily for the rest of their lives. Your doctor may also recommend that you increase the amount of vitamin B-12 in your diet. Good dietary sources of vitamin B-12 are meat, liver, and kidney; fish, oyster, and clams; and milk, cheese and eggs.

Folic acid deficiency anemia:
Treatment is frequently a dietary correction. Main sources of folic acid include meat, poultry, cheese, milk, eggs, liver, green leafy vegetables, raw fruits, lima and kidney beans, and yeast. Folic acid tablets cure the anemia quickly. If intestinal disorders impede folic acid absorption, a supplement may be needed for a time. In rare instances, injections of folic acid are necessary.

Anemia of chronic disease:
There's no specific treatment for this type of anemia. Doctors focus on treating the underlying disease. Iron supplements and vitamins generally don't help this type of anemia. However, if symptoms become severe, a blood transfusion or injections of synthetic erythropoietin, a hormone normally produced by the kidneys, may help stimulate red blood cell production and ease fatigue.

Aplastic anemia:
Treatment for this serious anemia may include blood transfusions to boost levels of red blood cells. You may need a bone marrow transplant if your bone marrow is diseased and can't make healthy blood cells. You may need immune-suppressing medications to lessen your immune system's response and give the transplanted bone marrow a chance to start functioning again.

Anemias associated with bone marrow disease:
Anemia tends to be more persistent and difficult to treat. The treatments for hereditary anemias, such as thalassemia, vary widely and depend on the specific condition and the severity of symptoms. Some anemias will not require any treatment while others may require repeated transfusion and other aggressive measures. Although aplastic anemia will occasionally go into spontaneous remission, people with this disorder generally require bone marrow transplantation.

Hemolytic anemias:
Managing hemolytic anemias includes avoiding suspect medications, treating related infections and taking drugs that suppress your immune system, which may be attacking your red blood cells. Short courses of treatment with steroids or gamma globulin can help suppress your immune system's attack on your red blood cells. If the condition has caused an enlarged spleen, you may need to have your spleen removed. The spleen — a small organ below your rib cage on the left side — filters out and stores defective red blood cells. Certain hemolytic anemias can cause the spleen to become enlarged with damaged red blood cells.

Sickle Cell Anemia:
While there is no cure for sickle cell anemia, drugs can help ease the pain. And a drug called hydroxyurea appears to stimulate the formation of an alternate form of hemoglobin that isn't susceptible to the sickling.