To diagnose anemia, a blood test is necessary to evaluate the amount of red blood cells and hemoglobin, which usually indicates anemia when hemoglobin levels are less than 12 g / dL for women and 14 g / dL for patients.
However, hemoglobin concentration is not the only parameter for diagnosing anemia, and more tests are usually needed to identify the cause of low haemoglobin levels and begin the most appropriate treatment.Find out what modified hemoglobin values can indicate.
- Because iron deficiency anemia is the most common.
- Your doctor starts by evaluating the amount of ferritin in your blood.
- Because when it’s in small amounts it means there’s little iron in your body; However.
- If ferritin values are normal.
- Others tests such as hemoglobin electrophoresis or vitamin B12 and folic acid count may be needed to help identify other types of anemia.
Diagnosis of anemia is made when hemoglobin values in the blood formula are:
This blood test usually already includes the amount of ferritin, so your doctor can evaluate whether your anemia is caused by a lack of iron. If this is the case, the ferritin value will also be low, indicating low blood iron levels, which may be a sign of iron deficiency anemia.However, if ferritin levels are normal, this is a sign that anemia is caused by another problem and therefore more tests may be requested to identify the correct cause.
In addition to evaluating the haemoglobin value, your doctor checks the value of other blood counts, such as mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (HCM), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (CHCM) concentration, and DRW, which measures size change.between red blood cells. From the blood count, your doctor can identify the type of anemia.Understand how the blood count works.
In addition to the complete blood count and ferritin, your doctor may order other tests to identify other types of anemia, such as:
Other tests such as MRI, X-rays, CT, urine tests, genetic tests, serological tests, and biochemical tests can also be used to diagnose the type of anemia, but are not commonly requested.
It is important that the test results are evaluated by your doctor, as only then can appropriate treatment be initiated. It is not enough to have a hemoglobin level below the baseline to determine anemia, and it is very important to perform additional tests.. Learn more about different types of anemia.
One way to prevent iron deficiency and pernicious anemia, which can occur as a result of diet, is to change eating habits.Watch the video below to see how to prevent these types of anemia: