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Anemic: Relating to anemia, the condition of having less than the normal number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. The oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood is, therefore, decreased. Persons with anemia may feel tired and fatigue easily, appear pale, develop palpitations (feelings of rapid heart beating) and become unusually short of breath. Children with chronic anemia are prone to infections…

Anemia, sickle cell: A genetic blood disorder caused by the presence of an abnormal form of hemoglobin. These hemoglobin molecules tend to aggregate after unloading oxygen forming long, rod-like strictures that force the red cells to assume a sickle shape. Unlike normal red cells, which are usually smooth and malleable, the sickle red cells cannot squeeze through small…

Anemia that is unresponsive to treatment.

Anemia, pernicious: Low red blood cell count caused by inadequate vitamin B12. Abbreviated PA. Patients with PA do not produce intrinsic factor (IF), a substance that allows the body to absorb vitamin B12 from foods. The resulting inadequacy of vitamin B12 hampers the production of red blood cells. PA can be treated by injection of vitamin B12: oral…

Better known today as thalassemia (or as beta thalassemia or thalassemia major). The clinical picture of this important type of anemia was first described in 1925 by the pediatrician Thomas Benton Cooley. The name thalassemia was coined by the Nobel Prize winning pathologist George Whipple and the professor of pediatrics Wm Bradford at U. of Rochester because thalassa in Greek means the sea…

Anemia due to inadequate iron. Iron is necessary to make hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that is responsible for the transport of oxygen. In iron deficiency anemia, the red cells are small and pale. Characteristic features of iron deficiency anemia in children include failure to thrive and increased infections. Iron deficiency anemia can be treated with iron supplements and iron-containing foods. Food sources of…

Anemia, Fanconi: A rare, inherited disease that adversely affects all the elements of bone marrow and is associated with malformations of the heart, kidney, and limbs, as well as pigmentary changes of the skin. Fanconi anemia predisposes a person to cancer, particularly to a disturbance of bone marrow growth called myelodysplasia and to acute myeloid leukemia. Patients also tend to develop cancers in areas of…

Better known today as thalassemia (or as beta thalassemia or thalassemia major). The clinical picture of this important type of anemia was first described in 1925 by the pediatrician Thomas Benton Cooley. Another name for the disease is Mediterranean anemia. The name thalassemia was coined by the Nobel Prize winning pathologist George Whipple and the professor of pediatrics Wm Bradford at U. of Rochester…

Anemia, congenital: 1. Anemia at birth.  2. Synonym for Rh incompatibility.

Anemia, Biermer’s: A blood disorder caused by a lack of vitamin B12. Patients who have this disorder do not produce the substance in the stomach that allows the body to absorb vitamin B12. This substance is called intrinsic factor (IF). Biermer’s anemia, better known as pernicious anemia (PA), is characterized by the presence in the blood of large, immature,…