Definition of Anaemia

According to MedicineNet.com, anaemia is a decrease in number of red blood cells (RBCs) or less than the normal quantity of haemoglobin in the blood. Anaemia may also be diagnosed where there is decreased oxygen-binding ability of each haemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in

some other types of haemoglobin deficiency. Because haemoglobin (found inside RBCs) normally carries oxygen from the lungs to the capillaries, anaemia leads to hypoxia (lack of oxygen) in organs. Since all human cells depend on oxygen for survival, varying degrees of anaemia can have a wide range of clinical consequences.

Anaemia is the most common disorder of the blood. The several kinds of anaemia are produced by a variety of underlying causes. It can be classified in a variety of ways, based on the morphology of RBCs, underlying etiologic mechanisms, and discernible clinical spectra, to mention a few. The three main classes include excessive blood loss (acutely such as a haemorrhage or chronically through low-volume loss), excessive blood cell destruction (haemolysis) or deficient red blood cell production (ineffective haematopoiesis).

References

MedicineNet.com. Definition of Anaemia. Last Editorial Review: March 30, 2009, 8:31:00 AM