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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffThese factors place you at increased risk of anemia:
- Poor diet. Anyone — young or old — whose diet is consistently low in iron and vitamins, especially folate, is at risk of anemia. Your body needs iron, protein and vitamins to produce sufficient numbers of red blood cells.
- Intestinal disorders. Having an intestinal disorder that affects the absorption of nutrients in your small intestine — such as Crohn's disease and celiac disease — puts you at risk of anemia. Surgical removal of or surgery to the parts of your small intestine where nutrients are absorbed can lead to nutrient deficiencies and anemia.
- Menstruation. In general, women are at greater risk of iron deficiency anemia than are men. That's because women lose blood — and with it, iron — each month during menstruation.
- Pregnancy. If you're pregnant, you're at an increased risk of iron deficiency anemia because your iron stores have to serve your increased blood volume as well as be a source of hemoglobin for your growing fetus.
- Chronic conditions. For example, if you have cancer, kidney or liver failure, or another chronic condition, you may be at risk of what's called anemia of chronic disease. These conditions can lead to a shortage of red blood cells. Slow, chronic blood loss from an ulcer or other source within your body can deplete your body's store of iron, leading to iron deficiency anemia.
- Family history. If your family has a history of an inherited anemia, such as sickle cell anemia, you also may be at increased risk of the condition.
Other factors
Certain infections, blood diseases and autoimmune disorders, exposure to toxic chemicals, and the use of some medications can affect red blood cell production and lead to anemia.
Other people at risk of anemia are people with diabetes, people who are dependent on alcohol (alcohol interferes with the absorption of nutrients) and people who adhere to a strict vegetarian diet, who may not get enough iron or vitamin B-12 in their diet.
- Anemia. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/anemia/anemia_whatis.html. Accessed Dec. 8, 2008.
- Pernicious anemia. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/prnanmia/prnanmia_all.html. Accessed Dec. 10, 2008.
- Schrier SL. Patient information: Iron deficiency anemia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 25, 2008.
- Schrier SL, et al. Anemia of chronic disease (anemia of chronic inflammation). http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 25, 2008.
- Schrier SL. Aplastic anemia: Pathogenesis; clinical manifestations; and diagnosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 25, 2008.
- Schrier SL. Approach to the diagnosis of hemolytic anemia in the adult. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 25, 2008.
- Hemolytic anemia. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/ha/ha_all.html. Accessed Dec. 10, 2008.
- Sickle cell anemia. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/ha/ha_all.html. Accessed Dec. 8, 2008.
- Schrier SL. Aplastic anemia: Prognosis and treatment. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 25, 2008.
- Schrier SL. Causes and diagnosis of anemia due to iron deficiency. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 25, 2008.
- Mechanisms of Anemia. In: Hoffman R et al. Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/114764765-5/786318263/1267/208.html#4-u1.0-B0-443-06628-0..50032-8--cesec2_821. Accessed Dec. 19, 2008.
- Linker CA. General Approach to Anemias. In: McPhee SJ et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2009. 48th ed. San Francisco, Calif.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=5476&searchStr=anemias. Accessed Dec. 19, 2008.
