Things you may not know about voluntary blood donation | Everyone is busy losing weight, but are there still people suffering from anemia?

Although our material life is now extremely rich, "fat-reducing meals, dieting" and other words have become the most common in our lives. However, in today's world of "overnutrition", anemia is still very common. So what is anemia? Why does anemia occur? Today we will talk about this "familiar yet unfamiliar" disease.

Anemia refers to the situation where the number of red blood cells and hemoglobin concentration in the human body's peripheral blood are lower than normal, which causes a decrease in the blood's oxygen-carrying capacity, leading to hypoxia of tissues and organs. Fatigue, sleepiness and decreased activity endurance are the most common symptoms of anemia patients. The main reasons are decreased red blood cell production, excessive destruction or excessive blood loss.

Couple participating in blood donation

In short, anemia refers to the "poverty" of red blood cells and hemoglobin.

First of all, the production of red blood cells is reduced. The bone marrow is the only place for the production of red blood cells. During the production of red blood cells, there needs to be sufficient supply of protein, iron, folic acid and vitamin B12. Protein and iron are the main raw materials for the synthesis of hemoglobin, while folic acid and vitamin B12 are coenzyme substances necessary for the maturation of red blood cells. In addition, red blood cell production also requires amino acids, vitamins B6, B2, C, E and trace elements such as copper, manganese, cobalt, zinc, etc. Therefore, eating only fried chicken, barbecue, hot pot and lobster every day may make you suffer from "hyperlipidemia", but it may not necessarily avoid anemia.

Let's talk about excessive damage. Normal human red blood cells are biconcave disc-shaped and have physiological characteristics such as plastic deformability, suspension stability and osmotic fragility. This allows red blood cells to circulate in blood vessels throughout the body and pass through capillaries and sinusoids with smaller calibers without being damaged. However, the occurrence of some diseases will destroy the physiological characteristics of red blood cells, leading to excessive damage and causing anemia.

Excessive blood loss is easier to understand. Traumatic bleeding, bleeding during surgery, and obstetric bleeding can all cause acute hemorrhagic anemia and even endanger life.

Therefore, if you do not have any clear disease, but feel tired, feel anxious and breathless after a little exercise, and have a pale and sallow complexion, you should pay attention and go to the hospital for a routine blood test to see if you are anemic.

For young women, the pursuit of a perfect body is not only about being thin and not eating, but also about having a balanced diet and exercising more. A rosy face is incomparable to any cosmetics.

(Han Xiaogai, deputy chief physician of Henan Red Cross Blood Center)