Anemia Of Chronic Disease

Question: Why do ferritin increase in anemia of chronic disease? Thanks alot...very clear explanation!!

Answer: In anemia of chronic disease without iron deficiency, ferritin levels are normal or high, reflecting the fact that iron is stored within cells, and ferritin is being produced as an acute phase reactant but the cells are not releasing their iron. Iron is not utilized because there is less erythropoiesis (formation of red blood cells & hemoglobin). Thus to store the unused iron, ferritin protein that binds this iron is produced in increased amount. I hope I could make it clear. Good luck!

Question: how can disruptions to erythropoesis result in anemia? so far i have aplasia, red cell aplasia and anemia of chronic disease. any other suggestions? it's for an exam tomorrow, and i think that i have to be very specific to the erythropoetic process itself, else i'm gona loose marks. i think leukemia may be another i can use. anyone know of a condition where marrow becomes insensitive to erythropoetin?

Answer: Anemia of chronic disease is different from kidney damage. Any kind of long-term disease could theoretically result in ACD. The kidneys actually produce erythropoetin, so damage to them will result in low production of RBCs (and thus anemia). There would be three main medical pathways I would think of as resulting in acquired anemia--aplasia (disruption of production in the bone marrow); lack of erythropoetin resulting in lack of stimulation to make RBCs; and deficiencies of iron or certain vitamins (folate and cobolamin, principally) required for RBC production. You could also have a congenital anemia caused by globin synthesis defects (sickle cell anemia, thalassemias) or formation of RBCs (spherocytosis, hereditary sideroblastic anemia). After the cells are made, you could have an anemia caused by destruction of the cells, but that wouldn't really be a disruption of erythropoesis exactly--a hemolytic anemia (which could be congenital, autoimmune or mechanical). Lead poisoning and alcoholism are also common causes of anemia, but again, not really categories of their own. That do ya for now? ;-)

Question: pregnant with Chronic kidney disease? Im almost 28 weeks pregnant and have chronic kidney disease. I also have anemia! Has anyone has these problems while pregnant? and am my Dr. said im at a high risk of preterm labor. Im wondering how soon? Thanks for your input!

Answer: I have no idea about the kidney disease and preterm labor. What I can tell you is while my daughter was in the NICU there were a couple of twins in there that had been born at 29 weeks. They had some issue's and had been there for several months but before my daughter was released they had a party and both twins went home fairly healthy. One was still on night time monitoring.

Question: What type of disease could result from chronic tiredness? i am always tired, I don't think it's really normal. I could sleep the whole day if you let me. I have tried things like sleeping less or sleeping more, but I am still tired and weak. is there any kind of disease that that could result from? I have already been tested negative for anemia.

Answer: So many things can cause fatigue. Some have been covered here. Mono, Lyme disease, lupus, celiac disease or any malabsorption issue, thyroid issues, etc. Apnea or some other sleep disorder is an excellent suggestion, by the way! I have celiac and I also happen to have Lyme right now. When my celiac was active I was NOT anemic, but was still very tired all the time (so do look into that and consider getting tested if any of the symptoms seem to fit or you have a family member with celiac). Lyme has not been a lot of fun either... I sleep and sleep and it is never enough, but with Doxycycline I am feeling better. You will need more testing to help determine what is going on with you, I wish you luck, a tenacious Dr. who won't give up or tell you that you are "depressed" to make you go away so s/he doesn't have to admit that they don't know, and a speedy diagnosis. And I am serious about not taking the "you are depressed diagnosis" seriously. If they ever say that and you know you are not depressed just say,"Oh, I understand. That means you don't know what is happening and now you want to blame it on me. Well, thank you for your time, I am getting a second opinion now." and leave.

Question: Why do people in this forum not know sickle cell anemia is a serious disease? It's most common among people from sub-Sahara Africa where it actually was a life-saver because the genes carrying the disease fight malaria, thereby giving those people an edge in survival. Do people not understand there is nothing racist about racial differences? It's like calling someone racist because they point out that white people tend to have pink- or pale-colored skin. From Wikipedia: Sickle-cell disease or sickle-cell anaemia (or anemia) is a blood disorder characterized by red blood cells that assume an abnormal, rigid, sickle shape. Sickling decreases the cells' flexibility and results in their restricted movement through blood vessels, depriving downstream tissues of oxygen. The disease is chronic and lifelong: individuals are most often well, but their lives are punctuated by periodic painful attacks and a risk of various other complications. Life expectancy is shortened, with older studies reporting an average life expectancy of 42 and 48 years for males and females, respectively.[1] Sickle-cell disease occurs more commonly in people (or their descendants) from parts of sub-Saharan Africa, where malaria is or was common, but it also occurs in people of other ethnicities. This is because those with one or two alleles of the sickle-cell disease are resistant to malaria since the sickle red blood cells are not conducive to the parasites - in areas where malaria is common, there is a survival value in carrying the sickle-cell genes.

Answer: ...and what does this have to do with the election? I didn't hear anyone ranting and raving about this with Colin Powell or Condoleezza Rice to name a few?

Question: What does having borderline normal hemaglobin, low hematocrit, mcv, and mch mean? I got a cbc done and i am wondering about my results: RBC (normal) 4.70 Hemaglobin (borderline normal) 11.5 Hematocrit (low) 33.7 MCV (low) 72 MCH (low) 24.4 MCHC (normal) 34 Trying to figure out if it's Iron-Deffiency Anemia or Anemia due to chronic disease. If anyone can help!

Answer: Haemoglobin=total iron in the blood. Although low and normal are used, it is very variable for each individual so other parameters need to be checked which you have included to determine if you are truly anaemic. MCV= mean cell volume, average volume of each red blood cell Haematocrit= the ratio between red blood cells and total volume of blood circulating MCH= mean cell haemoglobin, MCHC= mean cell haemoglobin concentration, may sound the same to mean cell haemoglobin but sublty different, because it will give an indication as to how much haemoglobin per unit volume is present, not how much is present full stop. based upon your results, it would appear you have something called a 'microcytic' anaemia which is possibly hypochromic. This essentially means your red cells are small and you do have haemoglobin deficit, not just one defined by set parameters. The confusion arises as this can be caused, as you have identified by iron deficiency or by anaemia of chronic disease. the next test results which would be helpful, would be ferritin, and total iron binding capacities. In iron deficiency, ferritin would be low and total iron binding capacity can be normal or usually high. (ferritin shows your iron stores and total iron binding CAPACITY will not be affected) in anaemia of chronic disease a molecule called hepcidin is thought to be the key. Hepcidin reduces iron absorption in the gut and iron transport out of cells. Levels are thought to be high in anaemia of chronic disease however there is no test which can determine levels of it. Instead, ferritin and total iron binding can be used to determine the cause. Because its like a transport issue, the stores (ferritin) will be normal and the ability to transport it (total iron binding capacity) will be reduced.

Question: problem of hiccups? In the past 6 months I've had the hiccupsHiccups at least once everyday ... here lately I've been getting them more frequently, over 3-4 times a day. They usually don't last very long, sometimes I hiccupp only once. I never really thought anything was weird about it. I just thought that I got the hiccupps a lot. Then yesterday someone suggested to me that I should go to the docotor and check it out and so I did a search on yahoo to see if there was anything that could make me have the hiccupsHiccups so often and came up with chronicAcute vs. chronic conditions Addison�s disease Anemia of chronic disease Cause of chronic bronchitis Chronic bronchitis Chronic cholecystitis Chronic fatigue syndrome Chronic fatigue syndrome - resources Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (cll) Chronic lymphocytic leukemia - microscopic view Chronic motor tic disorder hiccupsHiccups ... I was wondering if anyone knew anything about it or how I could tell if that's what it was or not Thanks!

Answer: one cure i know is this, it sounds really stupid, but here i go: drink 11 small sips of water, then one really big sip, just don't choke. hope this helps.

Question: autoimmune disease help. ? was diagnosed at age 31 with Graves Disease. The symptoms came on suddenly and severely. I was put on the medications used for Graves Disease and also the symptoms the Graves Disease was causing such as high blood pressure. Then I started getting severe hives to the point of having to be rushed to the ER because they were in my throat. Three endocrinologists later it was determined by the majority that I was allergic to the Graves Disease medication and I should get radioactive iodine to destroy my thyroid. I was told that my increased heart rate, increased blood pressure etc. was life-threatening so I consented to the RAI. I am now 35 years old and the journy to finding out exactly what is wrong with me continues. My thyroid eventually bottomed out after receiving the RAI, so I had all of those symptoms. I am currently on Synthroid 175 MCG. Then I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome. Then I developed insulin resistance. I am now on Janumet to control the insulin resistance. Last year I developed severe chronic anemia and had to get 9 rounds of IV iron infusions. For the last two years I have been going to my endocrinologist every three months because something always goes wrong. I had a bout of severe intestinal distress and kept nothing down for three weeks and celiac disease was ruled out by and colonoscopy. Between April and today I have lost 40 pounds. My latest round of blood work shows that I have diabetes insepidus (sp) which is caused by a malfunctioning pituitary gland. I also have a chronic UTI infection for the last four months, increased white blood count in my urine, chronic fatigue, horrible moods, achy joints and bones, and a general feeling of being confused and aggitated. Anyone have any clues as to what I should do next? the endocrinologist ran some kind of blood work panel - -I believe called and ADH panel and I will get it back next week and then he wants to send me for an MRI. It was also shown that my thyroid is now overactive again even though technically I am not supposed to have a thyroid. What are other options or other tests I should ask for. The doctors seem so confused with what is going on with me because with regard to the autoimmune diseases it is confusing. The third endocrinologist I have been seeing came highly recommended because he is used as an expert witness related to autoimmune disorderes in court cases. Thanks for any help or guidance.

Answer: I am sorry for your condition, and I have seen miracles. There is no way I can know what you are going through, but I looked a few things up . http://www.doctorzebra.com/prez/g41.htm this site is about the health of former president Bush Sr. He developed Graves and so did his wife the odds of this, dr. Zebra, ar four million to one. I remember a long time ago reading about the microwave bombardment of the Blair house and how people who lived there were sick with graves. can't find a source, though, the Bushes lived there. also I found a discussion about graves and radiation: http://www.askwaltstollmd.com/archives/g… there are many different points of view here- a lot of personal insights Maybe , if you read through them there may be something else you can try.

Question: What can be the side affects of mixing heart medications and anti-depressants with Zantrex-3? I have heart disease. I had an implanted dual chambered pacemaker/difibulator implanted in 2003. I'm 36 now. I have a triple sized enlarged heart,valve problems,chronic anemia, RLS and suffer from chronic depression. I take Verapamil, 240mg. 1x day, Atenonol 200mg. 2 times day, Effexor 225mg.day, and Diazapam 10mg.day. Since I was put on some of these meds, I have gained A LOT of weight. Before I was put on these meds, I was at my desired weight, and looked nice. I want this weight off of me. I bought this Zantrex-3, been taking it for 3 days now. I eat only once a day, and not much. But now I'm suffering from lack of sleep because I can't get to sleep at my usual hour, then get up for work in mornings, I have more mood swings, a little more depression, it's hard to concentrate, and I get confused and forgetful, more than before. I have lost 5 pounds in 3 days. Don't really want to stop taking it, I want this weight BACK OFF. Is there anyone that can give me answers, please.......

Answer: Zantrex is a stimulant. Plan on you AICD (Defibrillator getting a work out; and it may possibly save you or not)! Your heart will work harder and grow even more...may become like the grinch, but I doubt it....just dead. DON'T DO IT!!!!

Question: 5 days of body aches, low grade fever and chills, generally feeling unwell? I thought it was just some mild viral infection but it's been 5 days now, i went to the doctor, he couldn't see much wrong and just told me to rest up. But, i'm starting to worry it's cancer or something, one of those diseases that cause mild, vague but chronic symptoms. I don't know how many more days i'm gonna have these symptoms. Starting to feel it's chronic not acute. I'm anemic and being treated for it and anemia doesn't usually make me feel like this. What could be wrong? Thanks.

Answer: It could be anything. Don't start thinking it's something as serious as cancer. If it's a virus it can last at least a week. Try to rest, eat well and if you continue to feel bad go to a doctor. .