Hyperchromic Anemia - Causes, Symptoms And Treatment

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Hyperchromic anemia

Hyperchromic anemia is characterized by a decrease in the level of erythrocytes and hemoglobin in the blood. The disease develops against the background of a violation of the hematopoietic organs.

Depending on the reason that provoked the development of hyperchromic anemia, the following types are distinguished:

• Megaloblastic anemia. Failure occurs at the level of DNA and RNA. Megaloblasts begin to form in the bone marrow. The pathology can be provoked by myelodysplastic syndrome, HIV and the intake of certain medications, for example, Azathioprine.
• Non - megaloblastic anemia. DNA in this case is synthesized as expected, but megaloblasts are not produced in the bone marrow. Liver pathologies, cancerous tumors, hypothyroidism, alcoholism, myeloproliferative diseases can lead to the development of this type of anemia.

Women and men over 40 are at risk for the development of hyperchromic anemia.

Content:

• Symptoms of hyperchromic anemia
• Reasons for the development of hyperchromic anemia
• Treatment
• Health consequences

Symptoms of hyperchromic anemia

Symptoms that characterize hyperchromic anemia:

• The skin and mucous membranes are pale. Some yellowness of the skin is possible.
• Hair begins to turn gray ahead of time.
• A person gets tired faster.
• The digestive system is malfunctioning.
• Hematopoietic functions suffer.
• The tongue becomes sore.
• The gums begin to bleed.

First of all, the patients themselves pay attention to changes in the language. In addition to the fact that he begins to hurt, his appearance suffers. The surface of the organ becomes unnaturally smooth and shiny. After a while, spots appear on it, which tend to merge. This gives the impression that the tongue has turned bright red. The pain increases when trying to move the tongue. The taste buds of the organ become dull.

Useful information: eating spicy food will increase the pain in the tongue.

The symptoms of anemia may not bother the person. Pale skin is often the only visible sign of the disease. In addition, the patient may notice a decrease in performance, the appearance of heart pains and disturbances in the functioning of the digestive system.

As the disease progresses, these symptoms begin to worsen.

Therefore, it is advisable to divide them into 3 large groups:

• Discoloration of the skin. In addition to the fact that they become pale, sometimes a person can notice their slight yellowness. This also includes recurrent tinnitus and increased shortness of breath. It is against her background that a person most often experiences pain in the heart.
• Disturbances from the digestive system: change in taste preferences, loss of appetite, a feeling of heaviness in the epigastric region, diarrhea. The liver increases in size, the tongue becomes bright in color.
• Changes in the hematopoietic system: the level of erythrocytes falls, their shape and structure are disrupted. In addition, the patient is diagnosed with moderate leukopenia.

Sometimes the patient complains of numbness in the limbs.

Hyperchromic anemia and myelodysplastic syndrome

Hyperchromic anemia can be associated with myelodysplastic syndrome. Its development is facilitated by the effect of radiation, the passage of chemotherapy to get rid of tumor neoplasms, the treatment of leukemia.

As a result, the red bone marrow becomes unable to perform its functions in full. Symptoms indicating myelodysplastic syndrome are: tachycardia, frequent dizziness, shortness of breath against the background of physical rest. To diagnose this violation, it is necessary to consult a doctor and undergo laboratory tests.

Reasons for the development of hyperchromic anemia

Hyperchromic anemia is rare in young people. Elderly people are more susceptible to it.

The following conditions lead to hyperchromic anemia:

• Vitamin B12 deficiency.
• Folic acid deficiency.
• Myelodysplastic syndrome.

The main risk factor for the development of hyperchromic anemia is a lack of vitamin B12. The following reasons lead to B12-deficiency anemia:

• Atrophic gastritis. With this disease, an insufficient amount of gastromucoprotein is produced in the body, which prevents vitamin B12 from being fully absorbed.
• Diseases of the small and large intestines, in which their walls are damaged.
• Intestinal diseases of an infectious nature.
• Helminthic invasions.

Also, a lack of folic acid can lead to hyperchromic anemia. A similar problem often develops with alcoholism, as well as in people suffering from viral hepatitis. Sometimes folate deficiency anemia can manifest itself during pregnancy and if the principles of a healthy diet are not followed.

DNA production has a direct relationship with folate and vitamin B12. With their deficiency, this important biological process stops. The division of erythroblasts slows down, as a result of which they are transformed into megaloblasts.

Treatment

If there is no treatment for hyperchromic anemia, then the disease will progress. This can lead to serious consequences, including coma and death. Therefore, you need to contact a specialist as early as possible.

The treatment will be long, you need to adhere strictly to the therapeutic regimen. Often the patient is prescribed a course of medication. This will avoid relapses of the disease and prolong remission. In severe cases, bone marrow transplantation is required.

Mild anemia can be eliminated with a balanced diet. The menu must include meat products and animal livers.

Cyanocobalamin is prescribed for B12-deficiency and folic acid deficiency anemia. The dose is chosen by the doctor. If treatment is successful, the dose is gradually reduced. Folic acid is prescribed in addition to treatment. To understand whether the therapy is effective, the patient will need to regularly donate blood for analysis. If the level of reticulocytes in the blood rises, then the therapy was chosen correctly.

The effectiveness of treatment should be assessed as early as 7 days after its start. If there is no positive dynamics, then it is advisable to revise the therapeutic scheme.

In severe cases of anemia, red blood cell transfusion is required. Before starting treatment, it is important to accurately determine the causes that led to the development of anemia.

Health consequences

In childhood, hyperchromic anemia is dangerous with a delay in mental and physical development. The child will be more susceptible to various diseases, his immunity is not able to cope with infections. Such children get sick for a long time and hard.

Anemia is dangerous for pregnant women, who may have preterm labor. The fetus will suffer from a lack of nutrients, the baby may be born underweight and malformations. Therefore, during pregnancy, you need to regularly visit an obstetrician-gynecologist.

Other consequences of anemia include: cardiomyopathy, tachycardia, heart failure. Therefore, the treatment of this disorder must be timely.

The author of the article: Shutov Maxim Evgenievich | Hematologist

Education: In 2013 he graduated from the Kursk State Medical University and received a diploma "General Medicine". After 2 years, completed residency in the specialty "Oncology". In 2016 completed postgraduate studies at the National Medical and Surgical Center named after N. I. Pirogov.