Experts stress early diagnosis and identifying underlying cause of anaemia
Medical experts emphasize that anaemia is a clinical finding requiring the identification of underlying causes rather than just iron supplementation. During a webinar, they discussed various factors including nutritional deficiencies, chronic diseases, and inherited blood disorders.
Why it matters
Shifting the focus from simple iron deficiency to comprehensive diagnosis can significantly improve treatment outcomes for patients with complex health conditions.
"Anaemia is not a disease by itself but a clinical finding that signals an underlying health condition. Identifying its cause is the first step towards effective treatment," experts said during The Hindu' s webinar titled 'Anaemia: Understanding Causes and Effects' on Sunday.
The experts explained that while iron deficiency remains the most common cause of anaemia, the condition can also result from deficiencies of vitamin B12 or folate, inherited blood disorders such as thalassaemia and sickle cell disease, chronic kidney disease, infections, autoimmune disorders, bone marrow diseases and several other underlying illnesses. They stressed that management should always be tailored to the underlying cause rather than assuming all anaemia is due to iron deficiency.
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