Today is our topic of discussion Nutritional anemia
Nutritional anemia
Definition :
It is the disorder characterized by inadequate production of hemoglobin or erythrocytes caused by nutritional deficiency of iron, folic acid or vitamin B12 or other nutritional disorders.
Types of nutritional anemia:
Iron Deficiency Anemia:
Symptoms of severe anemia can result if there is lack of iron. The bone marrow needs iron to make red blood cells. Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common anemia worldwide especially in women and in pregnancy.
Folate Deficiency Anemia :
Folic acid/folate is also important for production of hemoglobin. Older adults and pregnant women are at greater risk of this anemia. Diet plans to fight it should include more dark green leafy vegetables, legumes and meat.
Pernicious Anemia:
This is less common and caused by deficiency of vitamin B12 which is needed for production of hemoglobin. Vitamin B12 is found in meat products. Apart from vegetarians, those more at risk of pernicious anemia are older adults and people with gastrointestinal disorders that interfere with absorption or production of intrinsic factor, which helps the absorption of vitamin B12.
Nutritional blindness
Definition: Ocular disorder due to hypovitaminosis A is called nutritional blindness.
Problem statement:
It has been estimated that one million children aged between 6 months and 6 years have clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency in Bangladesh. Almost 100 children go blind every day, and more than half of these children with blindness die within a few weeks.
WHO xerophthalmia classification :
XN Night blindness
XIA Conjunctival xerosis
XIB Bitot’s spots
X2 Corneal xerosis
X3 Corneal ulceration
Keratomalacia
XS Corneal scarring
XF Xerophthalmic fundus
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