By Yoon Ja-young
Jeong Bo-ram, a working mother in her late 20s, had been feeling exhausted, burdened with both office work and childcare. She put up with pains in the shoulder, waist and wrist, but she began to regard her condition seriously as she started feeling dizzy several times a day. After visiting a clinic, she found that she had anemia.
Data from the National Health Insurance Service showed that people are increasingly suffering from anemia. Females in their 40s are the most vulnerable group.
According to data, a total of 488,000 were treated for anemia in 2011, up 30 percent from 2006. Among them, 110,000 were males, registering an annual 7 percent increase from 2006, while female patients grew by an annual 4.9 percent to reach 378,000.
By age bracket, one out of four patients was in their 40s, followed by 30s, children under 10, and those in their 50s. Females in their 40s accounted for 21.2 percent of the total.
Anemia refers to the condition where red blood cells or hemoglobin have decreased in blood. There are diverse causes of anemia, according to Prof. Lee Sang-hyun at the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital. The most common is iron deficiency anemia, caused by excessive menstruation in women, bleeding in the stomach or intestines, or sometimes due to vegetarian diet, the professor explained. Anemia is also caused by a deficiency of vitamin B12 or folic acid, and it sometimes can accompany chronic renal failure or chronic inflammation. Though it is rare, some anemia patients have aplastic anemia, where bone marrow fails to produce enough blood cells.
The symptoms of anemia include dizziness, difficulty in breathing after exercise, asthenia, and fatigue. “People generally think they have anemia when they feel dizzy, but that is not always the case. If the anemia has developed chronically and gradually, it may not be accompanied by dizziness. On the contrary, those who feel dizzy are often found not to have anemia,” the professor said.
One can imagine that females are more vulnerable to anemia due to menstruation. Females in their 40s are especially vulnerable as while they may still be having periods, they are more likely to have some kind of chronic disease compared with those in their 20s or 30s, according to the professor. After their 50s, meanwhile, anemia tends to decrease due to menopause.
In the case of iron deficient anemia, doctors first find out the cause, such as internal bleeding. Adults are thus recommended to have their stomach or intestines examined after consulting a doctor. Then they are supplied iron supplements. “Symptoms such as fatigue improve within a few days after the intake of supplements, and the hemoglobin becomes normal after two months, but the intake of iron supplements generally should continue for six months,” the professor said.
He stressed that females having periods should check if there is any gynecological cause for the anemia, as iron supplements won’t work if the patient is losing blood each month due to problems like excessive menstruation.
For the prevention of anemia, a balanced diet is the most important, according to the doctor. One should not take iron supplements on his or her own decision. “People often take iron supplements thinking their dizziness is due to anemia, but often it isn’t the cause. One should find out the exact cause of the dizziness first,” Lee said.