Women & Anemia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DiaSino Anemia Solution

 

Ferritin, Vitamin B12 and Folate kits are available on both Porrima™ CLIA and ELISA platform

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you know

Anemia impacts more than 30% of the world population.(1)

More than 40% of pregnant women worldwide are anaemic.(2)

Worldwide, anemia contributes to 20% of all maternal deaths.(3)

Approximately 818 million women, and young children suffering from the anemia disease.(4)

 

 

 

Types of Anemia

Iron deficiency anemia
Iron deficiency anemia is a common anemia (characterized by low red blood cell level) caused by insufficient dietary intake and absorption of iron and/or iron loss from bleeding, which can occur from a variety of sources, such as intestinal, uterine, or from the urinary tract.

 

Megaloblastic anemia
Megaloblastic anemia is caused by incomplete formation of the red blood cell, resulting in large numbers of immature and incompletely developed cells. These red blood cells do not function like healthy red blood cells. They crowd out the healthy cells, causing anemia. Since these cells are underdeveloped, they also have a short life expectancy.5 Low levels of vitamin B12 or folate are the most common causes of this type of anemia. 

 

Pernicious anemia
Pernicious anemia, a form of megaloblastic anemia, is a rare disorder in which the body does not absorb enough vitamin B12 from the digestive tract, resulting in an inadequate amount of red blood cells (RBCs) being produced. It is also referred to as vitamin B12-deficient anemia.
 

 

 

Anemia symptoms

Most of the time, anemia symptoms are mild at first and develop slowly.

 

General symptoms may include:

• Feeling weak or tired more often than usual, or with exercise
• Headaches
• Problems concentrating or thinking

  

As the anemia gets worse, symptoms may include:

• Blue color to the whites of the eyes
• Brittle nails
• Light-headedness when you stand up
• Pale skin color
• Shortness of breath
• Sore tongue

 

 

 

 

DiaSino Diagnosis Solutions

 

Reducing the burden of anemic disorders in women includes:

Understanding risk factors
Making rapid, accurate diagnoses when symptoms occur
Implementing appropriate therapies
Monitoring treatment

Since anemia is usually found during routine blood tests, laboratory diagnostic testing plays an integral role in caring for women throughout the continuum of anemia treatment.

 

 

DiaSino offers Ferritin, Vitamin B12, and Folate tests, which are used by physicians to diagnose and monitor anemia in patients.

 

 

 

 

Ferritin 

Measurement of ferritin aids in the diagnosis of diseases affecting iron metabolism, such as hemochromatosis (iron overload) and iron-deficiency anemia. The ferritin test is typically ordered to assess iron stores in the body. The test is sometimes ordered along with an iron test and a TIBC to detect the presence and evaluate the severity of an iron deficiency or overload.

Early iron deficiency usually causes no physical effects at all. If a person is otherwise healthy, symptoms seldom appear before the hemoglobin in the blood drops below a certain level (10 g per deciliter). The ferritin test may be ordered, along with other iron tests, when a routine CBC shows that a person's hemoglobin and hematocrit are low and his or her red blood cells are smaller and paler than normal (microcytic and hypochromic). These conditions suggest iron-deficiency anemia, even though other clinical symptoms have not yet developed.

 

 

 

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 testing is typically used to diagnose the cause of anemia or neuropathy, to evaluate nutritional status, or to monitor the effectiveness of treatment for vitamin B12 or folate deficiency.

Vitamin B12 testing is most often done when other blood tests suggest a condition called megaloblastic anemia. Pernicious anemia is a form of megaloblastic anemia caused by poor vitamin B12 absorption. This can occur when the stomach makes less of the substance the body needs to properly absorb vitamin B12.

 

 

 

Folate

Folate, along with vitamin B12, is primarily ordered to detect deficiencies and to help diagnose the cause of certain anemias. In those treated for known B12 and folate deficiencies, these tests will be ordered occasionally to monitor the effectiveness of treatment. This is especially true in those who cannot properly absorb B12 and/or folate and must have lifelong treatment.

Folate and B12 may also be ordered to aid in diagnosis when an individual presents with an altered mental state or other behavioral changes, especially in the elderly. B12 may be ordered with folate, by itself, or with other laboratory screening tests (antinuclear antibody, CRP, rheumatoid factor, CBC, and chemistry blood tests) to help establish reasons why a person shows symptoms of neuropathy.

Serum folate levels can vary based on dietary intake. RBCs can store 95% of circulating folate; thus a measurement of the RBC folate level may be used to help detect a deficiency. Some doctors believe that the RBC folate test is more clinically relevant than serum folate, but there is not widespread agreement on this.

 

 

 

 

 

1. WHO website [Internet]. [cited 2018 Nov 11] Available from: http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/ida/en/index.html
2. WHO website [Internet].[cited Nov 17, 2018] Available from: http://www.who.int/elena/titles/daily_iron_pregnancy/en/
3. CMMB website [Internet].[cited Nov 17, 2018] Available from: https://cmmb.org/programs/projects-3/nutrition
4. McLean E, Cogswell M, Egli I, Wojdyla D, de Benoist B. Worldwide prevalence of anemia in preschool aged children, pregnant women and non-pregnant women of reproductive age.