Full transcript
0:00Today we will talk about anemia , an
0:02insufficient supply of oxygen to the
0:05body . It is a widespread condition .
0:07According to the WHO , one in four
0:09people in the world suffers from anemia
0:12, and just as many are at risk . Anemia
0:14is most often a sign of other diseases :
0:17infectious , inflammatory , or
0:19oncological . That is why it is
0:21important to diagnose it in time and
0:23understand its causes . This video was
0:26developed by the relles.ru team . To
0:28start , a few words about the symptoms .
0:31With anemia , a person may experience
0:33weakness and dizziness . There may also
0:36be symptoms such as ringing in the ears
0:38, pale skin and mucous membranes , hair
0:40loss or brittleness , and cramps . Anemia
0:43can manifest as shortness of breath or
0:45a rapid heartbeat . This is how the body
0:48tries to compensate for the lack of
0:50oxygen by forcing the lungs and heart
0:52to work faster . Let's figure out how
0:55and why anemia occurs . The body's
0:57tissues receive oxygen via the blood .
1:00This is the bloodstream . Red blood
1:02cells contain hemoglobin , which binds
1:05and carries oxygen . Hemoglobin contains
1:09iron , so when it is lacking , there is
1:11less hemoglobin in the red blood cells ,
1:14and they decrease in volume . The number
1:18of red blood cells also decreases . Such
1:20blood carries less oxygen . Iron
1:22deficiency is the most common cause of
1:25anemia . 80 % of cases are linked
1:27specifically to this . So , let's take
1:30note . To detect anemia , you need to get
1:33a complete blood count . Anemia is
1:35indicated by : red blood cell and
1:38hemoglobin levels , MCV — mean
1:40corpuscular volume , and MCH — mean
1:43corpuscular hemoglobin . In
1:45iron-deficiency anemia , all these
1:48indicators drop . Why does iron
1:50deficiency occur ? The main reasons are
1:54an unbalanced or irregular diet , a
1:57vegetarian diet , as well as stomach or
1:59intestinal diseases , ulcers , gastritis ,
2:02inflammatory processes , iron absorption
2:05issues , blood loss due to injury or
2:07surgery , heavy periods , pregnancy and
2:10lactation , alcohol abuse , or the use of
2:12certain medications . It is worth noting
2:16that an iron deficiency does not
2:17immediately lead to a drop in
2:19hemoglobin . The fact is that the body ,
2:21over millions of years of evolution ,
2:23has developed defense mechanisms and
2:25learned to store iron for times of need
2:26. Let's see how this happens . Iron
2:30enters our body through food and is
2:32absorbed in the intestines . This is the
2:34intestine . Some iron is transported to
2:38the bone marrow to form new red blood
2:40cells and hemoglobin , while about 20 % is
2:43stored in special containers . Ferritin .
2:47These are protein molecules that hold
2:49up to 4,000 iron atoms . Ferritin is
2:52found in the liver . Let's depict the
2:55liver with ferritin stores , as well as
2:57in the spleen , bone marrow , and blood .
3:01Imagine that iron stops being supplied
3:03through food . The body begins to use
3:06its ferritin stores . We see that the
3:08ferritin stores have decreased , but
3:10this has not yet affected hemoglobin
3:11production . This is a hidden iron
3:14deficiency . It can be detected by a low
3:17ferritin level . Therefore , ferritin is
3:19a very clear indicator . Let's add it to
3:21our list of tests . There is another
3:24interesting protein — transferrin . This
3:26is a small transport protein , each
3:28molecule of which can carry two iron
3:30atoms . Transferrin's job is to take
3:33iron from intestinal cells and deliver
3:35it to blood cell production sites and
3:37storage . When the body lacks iron , it
3:41speeds up metabolic processes and
3:43synthesizes new transferrin molecules
3:45to do so . Therefore , transferrin levels
3:48are another indicator used to diagnose
3:51anemia . Doctors also typically look at
3:53the amount of iron that transferrin is
3:54carrying . Normally , transferrin is
3:56saturated at 30 % of its maximum capacity
3:59. For example , here are five molecules
4:01that are 30 % saturated . In iron
4:04deficiency , their saturation decreases ,
4:06but their quantity increases . This is a
4:09sign of anemia . The total number of
4:12binding sites on transferrin is called
4:14total iron-binding capacity , and the
4:16vacant sites are called latent
4:17iron-binding capacity . So , to diagnose
4:21anemia , you should get the following
4:24tests : a complete blood count , ferritin
4:26, transferrin , and iron-binding
4:28capacity . We also recommend testing
4:31your levels of vitamin B12 and folate .
4:34They participate in blood formation
4:36processes , and their deficiency can
4:39also cause anemia . You can sign up for
4:42these tests at redes.ru . Thank you for
4:46your attention and stay healthy .