Anemia, also
spelled anaemia, is usually defined as a decrease in the total amount of red
blood cells (RBCs) or hemoglobin in the blood. It can also be defined as a
lowered ability of the blood to carry oxygen. When anemia comes on slowly, the
symptoms are often vague and may include feeling tired, weakness, shortness of
breath or a poor ability to exercise. Anemia that comes on quickly often has
greater symptoms, which may include confusion, feeling like one is going to
pass out, loss of consciousness, or increased thirst. Anemia must be
significant before a person becomes noticeably pale. Additional symptoms may
occur depending on the underlying cause. Anemia is the most common disorder of
the blood, affecting about a quarter of the people globally. Iron-deficiency
anemia affects nearly 1 billion. In 2013, anemia due to iron deficiency
resulted in about 183,000 deaths – down from 213,000 deaths in 1990. It is more
common in females than males, among children, during pregnancy, and in the
elderly. Anemia increases costs of medical care and lowers a person’s
productivity through a decreased ability to work.
In the present book, fifteen typical
literatures about anemia therapy published on international
authoritative journals were selected to introduce the worldwide newest progress,
which contains reviews or original researches on medical science, hematopathology,
hematology, epidemiology, ect. We
hope this book can demonstrate advances in anemia therapy as well as give
references to the researchers, students and other related people.