Anemia in Children

Anemia is a common blood disorder caused due to considerable decrease in the quantity of red blood cells or reduced amount of hemoglobin in the blood. Anemia is treated more as a symptom of disease rather than a disease in itself. Disease can be attributed to hemorrhage (excessive blood loss), hemolysis (excessive blood cell destruction) or hematopoiesis (deficient red blood cell production).

Causes of Anemia in Children
In children, anemia can be caused due to various reasons, the prominent ones being:

• Infections, such as, ear or sinus infections, which deplete the production of red blood cells for a considerable period of time.
• A chronic disease which hampers the development of red blood cells.
• Iron deficiency which causes blood counts to be low and causes the child to feel tired, have pale skin and be irritable and weak.
• Side effects of certain medications administered to curb some disease.
• And lastly, lack of proper nutrition in small children.

It is very important to determine the cause of anemia before initiating the treatment.

Symptoms of Anemia in Children
Most of the signs and symptoms of anemia surface due to hypoxia, i.e. the decrease in oxygen levels of the cells. The red blood cells are meant to carry oxygen, therefore, a decrease in the number of red blood cells often leads to hypoxia. Although each child may experience different symptoms, the most common symptoms of anemia in children are

• Skin turning pale or colorless.
• Tachycardia, i.e. increased heart rate.
• Dyspnea, i.e. difficulty in breathing.
• Excessive fatigue, lack of energy and irritability.
• Headache and dizziness when standing for prolonged duration.
• Sore or swollen tongue.
• Jaundice, yellowing of skin and eyes.
• Enlarged liver (hepatomegaly) and spleen (splenomegaly).
• Slow developmental growth and tissue healing.

In mild anemia, many of these symptoms are not observed as the human body is capable of compensating for minor changes in hemoglobin levels.

Anemia Diagnosis
Symptoms of anemia quite often resemble symptoms of other blood disorders or medical problems. If any of the above symptoms is noticed, you should promptly take your child to the doctor. Anemia can be detected by ascertaining the complete medical history and proper physical examination of the child. If the child is getting tired easily, has fast heartbeat and shows discoloration of skin and lips, the doctor will recommend some blood tests to measure the hemoglobin concentration and red blood cell count.

Treatment for Anemia in Children
After ascertaining that the child is suffering from anemia, the doctor will prescribe the treatment after taking the child's age, medical history and overall heath condition into consideration. The extent to which the disorder has developed, its type and cause of the disorder needs to be determined before initiating the treatment process. The medical practitioner will also consider the child's tolerance levels to different medications or therapies. Although it's difficult to treat anemia, it's not impossible. The treatment includes change in the child's diet plan and including vitamin and mineral supplements in it. Anemia treatment includes the treatment of causes as well. If the disorder is caused due to particular medications, the medications should be discontinued. If it is hemolytic anemia, then a small surgery has to be performed to remove the spleen. Blood transfusion should be performed if there is significant loss of blood. If anemia is caused due to infection, antibiotics should be administered. If it is a case of aplastic anemia then bone marrow transplant should be performed.

If anemia is caused due to genetic defects affecting the production of red blood cells or hemoglobin, it is very difficult to prevent anemia. But iron deficiency anemia, which is the most common form of anemia in children, can be prevented. Make sure that your child is getting enough iron during infancy as well as during the initial years. It is very important to take proper care of your children in their initial years to make sure that they have a healthy future.