Anemia is a lack of the desired quality or quantity of the red blood cells. Hemoglobin is a protein in the red blood cells, which aids in their transportation of oxygen throughout the body. Hence in anemia, the erythrocytes are not able to meet the needs of the body, including sex, age, pregnancy, and smoking. Just like in Ms. A's case, anemia can be described using various parameters such as the hemoglobin amount in the erythrocytes, the ratio of the volume of the red blood cells to the total volume of blood (Hematocrit), and the red blood cells (Camaschella, 2015). The hemoglobin concentration range varies depending on gender. For females, the normal hemoglobin concentration is 13.8 –17.2grams/ deciliter. The normal hematocrit range for women is 37% - 48%. Based on these ranges, it is evident that Ms. A has anemia since her hemoglobin concentration is 8g/dl, and her hematocrit is 32%.
Ms. A has iron deficiency anemia (IDA). IDA is characterized by low hemoglobin concentration in the RBCs due to insufficient iron in circulation. Hemoglobin is made up of heme and ferrous iron. Iron is important for oxygen circulation by the red blood cells. Since the body is not able to transport enough oxygen to the various cells and tissues in the body, certain symptoms arise from this. Unusual tiredness is one of the symptoms. This is due to lack of enough oxygen reaching the muscles and tissues (Zimmermann & Hurrell, 2017). As a compensatory mechanism, the heart tries to pump more blood to the body tissues hence an increase in heart rate. Also, there is an increase in the rate of respiration in an attempt of the body to take in more oxygen to meet the reduction in supply to body tissues and cells. Ms. A has these symptoms. She has increased heart rate and rate of respiration. In addition, she experiences low energy levels and low levels of enthusiasm. Moreover, Ms. A has shortness of breath due to the increased rate of breathing.
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Ms. A also experiences lightheadedness. This occurs because there is a reduction in the oxygen concentration reaching the brain. Aspirin is a cyclooxygenase inhibitor. Cyclooxygenase is an enzyme that catalyzes the formation of prostaglandins – lipid compounds with protective functions. For example, along with the digestive system, prostaglandins E act as a protective barrier for the GI tract. Inhibition of the formation of these prostaglandins will increase the risk of peptic ulcer disease. Besides, aspirin is known to be a blood thinner (Camaschella, 2015). This increases the flow of blood, hence in the event of bleeding such as in ulcers, the likelihood of developing anemia is high. Ms. A’s case also involves the loss of blood since she has been undergoing menorrhagia and dysmenorrheal for about eleven years. This loss of blood combined with aspirin results in the likelihood of incurring a massive loss in the blood, hence decreasing the supply of blood to her organs and tissues. Moreover, the usage of aspirin for many conditions means that the dosage Ms. A is using is high; hence, a high likelihood of bleeding.
Anemia is characterized based on the size and color of the erythrocytes. Microcytic hypochromic erythrocytes indicate low levels of hemoglobin, a characteristic of iron deficiency anemia (Zimmermann & Hurrell, 2017). Also, when an anemic individual takes part in exercises such as mountain climbing and vigorous exercises, the demand for oxygen increases hence exercises coupled with insufficient hemoglobin concentration the rate of shortness of breath and dizziness. High altitude areas have a lower oxygen concentration, and as such, higher hemoglobin concentration is required for adequate oxygen circulation.
References
Camaschella, C. (2015). Iron-deficiency anemia. New England journal of medicine , 372 (19), 1832-1843.
Zimmermann, M. B., & Hurrell, R. F. (2007). Nutritional iron deficiency. The lancet , 370 (9586), 511-520.
