Anemia Types and Causes

Types and Causes of Anemia

• Chronic blood loss, such as frequent or heavy periods in women or gastrointestinal (GI) bleeds from upper GI ulcers and inflammatory bowel disease, can cause anemia.
• Thalassemia, an inherited abnormality, can also cause anemia due to mutations in genes needed for normal hemoglobin production.

Megaloblastic Macrocytic Anemia

• Megaloblastic macrocytic anemia is caused by errors in red blood cell DNA production, resulting in incorrectly made red blood cells.
• Vitamin B-12 deficiency or folate deficiency can cause megaloblastic macrocytic anemia.

Non-Megaloblastic Macrocytic Anemia

• Non-megaloblastic macrocytic anemia can be caused by chronic alcohol use disorder, liver disease, or hypothyroidism.

Important Terms

• RBCs = Erythrocytes, Erythrocytopenia, and Erythrocytosis (Polycythemia).
• WBCs = Leucocytes, Leukocytosis, Leukocytopenia, Neutrophilia, Neutropenia, Eosinophilia, Eosinopenia, etc.
• Platelets = Thrombocytes, Thrombocytosis, Thrombocytopenia.

Causes of Erythrocytosis

• Smoking, drinking too much alcohol, and taking certain medicines can cause erythrocytosis.

Causes of Erythrocytopenia

• Missing certain vitamins or minerals in the diet, low iron levels in blood, major organ problems, and red blood cells being destroyed by the body can cause erythrocytopenia.

Causes of Leukocytosis

• Excessive physical or emotional stress, fever, injury, surgery, burns, typhoid fever, brucellosis, miliary tuberculosis, splenomegaly, megaloblastic anemia, and bone marrow failure can cause leukocytosis.

Causes of Lymphocytosis

• Viral infections in children, bacterial infections, infectious mononucleosis, cytomegalovirus infection, lymphocytic leukemia, and lymphomas can cause lymphocytosis.

Causes of Lymphocytopenia

• HIV/AIDS, severe bone marrow failure, and acute viral infections such as Covid-19 can cause lymphocytopenia.

Causes of Monocytosis

• Chronic bacterial infections, helminth infections, allergic conditions, skin diseases, and certain malignancies can cause monocytosis.

Causes of Eosinophilia

• Helminth infections, allergic conditions, skin diseases, and certain malignancies can cause eosinophilia.

Causes of Basophilia

• Allergic reactions, chronic inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and certain malignancies can cause basophilia.

Causes of Leukocytosis

• Thyroid problems, dental caries, certain medicines, allergies, splenectomy, leukemia, and lymphoma can cause leukocytosis.

Causes of Leukocytopenia

• Bone marrow disorders, autoimmune diseases, infections such as HIV, and certain medicines can cause leukocytopenia.

Causes of Thrombocytosis

• Reactive thrombocytosis can be caused by blood loss, cancer, infections, iron deficiency, and removal of the spleen.
• Essential thrombocythemia is a disorder where the bone marrow produces too many platelets that don't work properly.

Causes of Thrombocytopenia

• Autoimmune diseases, bone marrow failure, certain medicines, and spleen removal can cause thrombocytopenia.

Causes of Neutrophilia

• Acute bacterial infections, tissue damage, acute myocardial infarction, acute hemorrhage, and malignant diseases can cause neutrophilia.

Causes of Neutropenia

• Viral infections, certain bacterial infections, and chemotherapy can cause neutropenia.