This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Anaemia

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Anaemia can be described as a reduction in the haemoglobin concentration to below 13.5 g per decilitre in an adult male and below 11.5 g per decilitre in an adult female.

The World Health Organization uses the following haemoglobin thresholds to define anaemia individuals living at sea level:

  • children
    • 0.50–4.99 yrs - 11 g/dl
    • 5.00–11.99 yrs - 11.5 g/dl
    • 12.00–14.99 yrs - 12 g/dl
  • women
    • non-pregnant women (≥15 yrs) - 12 g/dl
    • pregnant women - 11 g/dl
  • men (≥15 yrs) - 13 g/dl (1)

Anaemia is not a disease in itself, but may reflect an underlying disease process. It may also result from an increase in plasma volume and a dilutional effect - for example, as occurs during pregnancy.

It can be classified according to the blood film; thus red cells with a low mean cell volume (MCV) appear small and pale - microcytic; those with a large MCV appear large and oval shaped - macrocytic. Alternatively, the red blood cells may be normal in size and shape but may be reduced in number - normocytic.

An alternative classification is with respect to the underlying mechanism.

A schemata for considering the management of anaemia in an adult is presented (2):

 

References:


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.