What Should You Know About Anemia

Written by Kristen Fischer
Medically Reviewed by Shruthi N, MD on August 04, 2025
11 min read

Anemia occurs when you have a low number of red blood cells, which can affect how your body works. It doesn’t always cause symptoms, but it can. As a result of anemia, your organs may not function properly. The condition can be mild and reversible, while other cases can be serious based on the type of anemia.

Hemoglobin plays an important role in anemia. It’s the main protein in your red blood cells. It carries oxygen throughout your body. If there’s not enough hemoglobin in your body, tissues or organs may not get enough oxygen. That’s when you may go through the symptoms of anemia, such as fatigue or shortness of breath.

Anemia is the most common blood condition in the U.S., affecting about 9.3% of the population. Women, young children, and people with long-term diseases are more likely to have anemia. 

“Worldwide, iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia,” noted William B. Ershler, MD, director emeritus of hematology at Inova, based in Virginia.

At-risk groups include women, who have a higher risk of iron-deficiency anemia because of blood loss from their periods and higher blood supply demands during pregnancy. Older adults also have a greater risk of anemia because they are more likely to have kidney disease or other chronic medical conditions.

Certain forms of anemia are passed down through your genes, and infants may have it from birth.

How serious is anemia?

There are many types of anemia with various causes and different treatments. Some forms, such as the mild anemia that happens during pregnancy, are temporary and usually treatable. But some types of anemia may reflect a serious medical condition, and certain cases can be life-threatening.

Can anemia be cured?

Yes, anemia can be cured in most cases. It is usually a short-term issue that can be treated with a change in diet or by taking supplements. It’s not common to need other treatments for anemia, but it is possible that you may need more care.

The signs of anemia can be so mild that you might not even notice them. At a certain point, as your blood cells lower, symptoms often begin to show. Depending on the cause of the anemia, symptoms may include:

  • Dizziness, lightheadedness, or feeling like you are about to pass out
  • A fast or unusual heartbeat
  • A headache
  • Pain, including in your bones, chest, belly, and joints
  • Problems with growth, for children and teens
  • Shortness of breath
  • Skin that’s pale or yellow
  • Cold hands and feet
  • Tiredness or weakness

Severe anemia symptoms

If anemia gets worse, symptoms may include:

  • Brittle nails
  • Mouth ulcers
  • Loss of sexual interest
  • For women, increased menstrual bleeding
  • An inflamed or sore tongue
  • Shortness of breath while at rest or with little activity
  • Getting lightheaded when you stand up
  • Pale skin
  • Pica syndrome, or the desire to eat nonfood things such as ice
  • Blue color to the whites of the eyes

Symptoms of dying from anemia 

Dying from anemia is very rare. Some genetic conditions that could lead to this include sickle cell and some hemolytic anemias being passed down. After a major injury, severe bleeding can lead to short-term, life-threatening anemia. Cancers and other diseases may also be a potential cause of anemia.

There are more than 400 types of anemia, and they can be caused by a variety of factors — everything from blood loss to abnormalities in the way your cells are formed.

Anemia caused by blood loss

You can lose red blood cells when you bleed. This can happen over a long period, and you might not notice it. Causes can include:

  • Gastrointestinal conditions, such as ulcers, hemorrhoids, gastritis (inflammation of your stomach), and cancer
  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen, which can cause ulcers and gastritis
  • A menstrual period, especially if you have a heavy menstruation (or heavy period), which can be linked to fibroids
  • After a surgery or trauma
  • Blood loss at delivery and the immediate postpartum period

Anemia caused by decreased or faulty red blood cell production

These anemias arise if your body doesn’t create enough blood cells or they don’t work the way they should. This can happen because there’s something wrong with your red blood cells or you don’t have enough minerals and vitamins for your red blood cells to form normally. 

Sickle cell anemia is one such type of anemia. This occurs when your red blood cells change in shape and block blood flow, causing pain throughout your body. It affects mainly African Americans and Hispanic Americans.

Anemia from bone marrow and stem cell problems

These forms of anemia can keep your body from making enough red blood cells. Some of the stem cells in the marrow, which is in the center of your bones, will form into red blood cells. If there aren’t enough stem cells, if they don’t work right, or if they’re replaced by other cells such as cancer cells, you might get anemia. These types of anemia include:

  • Aplastic anemia happens when you don’t have enough stem cells or have none at all. You might get aplastic anemia because of your genes or if your bone marrow was injured by medications, radiation, chemotherapy, or infection. Other conditions that commonly affect the bone marrow include multiple myeloma and leukemia. Sometimes, there’s no clear cause of aplastic anemia.
  • Lead poisoning is toxic to your bone marrow and leads to fewer red blood cells. 
  • Thalassemia occurs when your body makes fewer healthy hemoglobin proteins and your bone marrow makes fewer healthy red blood cells. It’s passed down in your genes and usually affects people of Mediterranean, African, Middle Eastern, and Southeast Asian descent. This condition can range from mild to life-threatening; the most severe form is called Cooley’s anemia.

Anemia caused by aging

Anywhere from 10% to 20% of people over 65 have anemia, and about one-third of those cases are iron-decreased anemia. Doctors aren’t sure what causes anemia in older adults, which is called unexplained anemia of aging (UAA). 

“It is frequently mild with hemoglobin levels just a gram or so below the normal range, but its presence has been linked to a variety of adverse outcomes, including falls, fractures, worsening underlying medical conditions, dementia, placement in long-term care and death,” Ershler explained. 

UAA is a hot topic in geriatrics and hematology clinical research, as researchers are trying to figure out if correcting mild UAA lowers negative geriatric outcomes, Ershler added.

Nutritional deficiencies

Iron-deficiency anemia. If you don’t have enough iron in your body, you can get this kind of anemia. Your bone marrow needs iron to make hemoglobin, the part of the red blood cell that takes oxygen to your organs. Iron-deficiency anemia can be caused by:

  • A diet without enough iron, especially in infants, children, teens, vegans, and vegetarians
  • Certain drugs, foods, and caffeinated drinks
  • Digestive conditions, such as Crohn’s disease, or if you’ve had part of your stomach or small intestine removed
  • Donating blood often
  • Endurance training
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding using up iron in your body
  • Your period
  • Chronic slow bleed, usually from your digestive system

Vitamin-deficiencies. If you’re lacking enough of a vitamin such as vitamin B12 or folate, which are critical to help your body make red blood cells, you can get anemia. Not getting enough of those vitamins via supplements or diet can cause this type of anemia, as can taking certain medications, alcohol abuse, or having an intestinal disease.

Absorption issues. Not being able to absorb vitamin B12 is known as pernicious anemia, an autoimmune condition. 

Anemia caused by destruction of red blood cells

When red blood cells are fragile and can’t handle the stress of traveling through your body, they may burst, causing what’s called hemolytic anemia. You might have this condition at birth, or it could come later. Sometimes, the causes of hemolytic anemia are unclear, but they can include:

  • An attack by your immune system, as with lupus. This can happen to anyone, even a baby still in the womb or a newborn. That’s called hemolytic disease in the newborn.
  • Conditions that can be passed down through your genes, such as sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP)
  • An enlarged spleen. This can, in rare cases, trap red blood cells and destroy them too early.
  • Something that puts strain on your body, such as infections, drugs, snake or spider venom, or certain foods
  • Toxins from advanced liver or kidney disease
  • Vascular grafts, prosthetic heart valves, tumors, severe burns, being around certain chemicals, severe hypertension, and clotting disorders

Other causes of anemia

Anemia linked to other chronic conditions usually occurs in the setting of long-standing inflammation. Inflammatory proteins slow the bone marrow’s production of young red blood cells in a variety of ways. Conditions that cause this type of anemia include:

  • Advanced kidney disease
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Old age
  • Long-term diseases, such as cancer, infection, lupus, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis

Your health care provider will perform a simple blood test called a complete blood count (CBC) test. This will measure your red blood cells, hemoglobin, and other parts of your blood. 

“It is a simple and inexpensive test and is quite accurate in clarifying hemoglobin level. If the hemoglobin level is below 13 grams per deciliter (g/dL) in men or 12 g/dL in women, you have met criteria for anemia,” Ershler said. 

Additionally, your doctor will ask about your family history and your medical history after the CBC. They’ll probably do some tests to figure out the cause of the anemia, including:

  • Blood smear or differential to count your white blood cells, check the shape of your red blood cells, and look for unusual cells
  • A hematocrit test to measure the percentage of red blood cells in your blood
  • Reticulocyte count to check for immature red blood cells

“The additional tests can be very important because the anemia may be an early indicator of an underlying disease for which early detection can be lifesaving,” Ershler pointed out.

It depends on the type of your anemia and how bad it is. Sometimes, getting more iron in your diet is enough to reverse anemia. Your health care provider may also consider these options:

Supplements. You may need to take an iron, folic acid, or vitamin B12 supplement.

Medications. Medications used to treat anemia include erythropoietin, which helps your bone marrow make more blood stem cells. Immunosuppressants may be used if your anemia is due to an immune disorder.

Procedures. Depending on your case, your doctor may recommend blood transfusion to replace red blood cells or stem cell (bone marrow) transplant to replace unhealthy blood stem cells. Surgery can be used to treat internal bleeding that causes anemia.

Diet. An iron-rich diet with meats, eggs, beans, fortified foods, nuts, seafood, peas, and leafy green vegetables may boost iron levels.

Anemia home remedies

Eating a diet with iron-rich foods is one way to treat your anemia at home. 

Anemia supplements. You can also take supplements, which will raise the amount of iron and hemoglobin in your body. Ferrous sulfate comes in liquid and tablet forms. Usually, the serving size is 325 milligrams. Talk to your doctor about taking an iron supplement for anemia, and see how they recommend taking it. But typically, you’ll want to take it on an empty stomach. Don’t combine your supplement with milk, caffeine, or calcium supplements. Taking your supplement with vitamin C, such as a glass of orange juice, may help increase absorption.

Anemia complications

Anemia can lead to severe tiredness, making it very hard to get through your day. It can also lead to an arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat. Because there isn’t as much oxygen in the blood, the heart must pump more, which could lead to heart failure. Anemia can even be fatal, especially if you lose a lot of blood too quickly. 

Anemia and pregnancy

When you get pregnant, your body goes through many changes. Your body makes 20%-30% more blood, which means you need more iron and vitamins.

A lot of people don’t have enough iron for their second and third trimesters, which could lead to anemia. While mild anemia is normal during pregnancy, severe anemia could put your baby at risk for anemia as well.

If you’re severely anemic during your first two trimesters, you’re at a higher risk of having a preterm delivery or a baby with a low birth weight.

People who are pregnant and anemic are also at a higher risk for blood loss during labor and may have a harder time fighting infections.

During pregnancy, you need 27 milligrams of iron each day. You can take prenatal vitamins that contain iron to help prevent or treat an iron deficiency during pregnancy. Your doctor might also give you a different iron supplement.

You can also eat more iron-rich foods to help with your iron deficiency.

If you do these things and still have anemia, your doctor might suggest testing to find other potential causes. If your anemia is due to iron deficiency, they’ll have you take more iron supplements. But if you had a history of gastric bypass or small bowel surgery or aren't able to take an iron supplement, your doctor will give you iron through an intravenous (IV) needle.

Talk to your doctor if you are tired or short of breath all the time and don't know why. 

You may find out when you’re donating blood that your hemoglobin is low. In that case, make an appointment with your health care provider.

Anemia occurs when you have a low number of red blood cells, and it can cause symptoms such as fatigue or feeling like you’re going to pass out. There are hundreds of kinds of anemia, some more serious than others.

Talk to your doctor if you’re having symptoms. They can check your blood and point you in the right direction.

How can I cure my anemia?

Anemia treatment varies depending on the type of anemia you have. With treatment, anemia can be reversed in many cases.

Can lack of sleep cause anemia?

It doesn’t look like clinical trials have found that sleep directly causes anemia, though they have been studied and linked. Some research shows getting too little or too much sleep is linked to a higher risk for anemia, while other evidence suggests anemia can make you tired (that’s a symptom of the condition). Having anemia has been linked to insomnia, some evidence shows.

What food is good for anemia?

This depends on the type of anemia you have. If you have an anemia that’s characterized by a nutrient deficiency, such as iron deficiency anemia, your health care provider may recommend foods rich in iron, such as meat or leafy greens, and/or a supplement.