Anemia is one of the most prevalent blood diseases in the Arab world for many reasons, including genetic factors, which affect humans in the form of a disease Hereditary anemia Learn about it in this article and the symptoms of each type.

What is hereditary anemia?

It is a type of anemia that occurs due to genetic factors and not external factors (such as malnutrition, for example) that the patient inherits from one of his parents, and some of the known symptoms of anemia occur with it. It also has several types, including the following.

Types of hereditary anemia

Sickle-cell anemia

It is the most common type of hereditary anemia and it occurs due to the lack of healthy red blood cells needed to carry oxygen throughout the body. blood vessel walls, causing slow blood flow.

Symptoms of sickle cell anemia

Symptoms of the disease appear within 5 months of the birth of the child and differ from one child to another, but in general they appear Symptoms of anemia Other known symptoms include:

• The feeling of pain in a continuous and regular manner in the chest, bones, joints, and abdomen, and the pain may be mild or severe to the point that it requires going to the hospital.
• Swelling of the feet and hands.
• Frequent infection.
• Slow growth and delayed puberty.
• vision problems

There are several symptoms that may require you to go to the doctor quickly, such as:

Thalassemia

It is also called Mediterranean anemia It is one of the most dangerous types of hereditary anemia because it may cause the death of fetuses before they are born, and it occurs because of certain genes that cause distortion in the hemoglobin present in red blood cells, which leads to their destruction in large quantities. As for children born with this disease, they may not show symptoms at first, but they develop. Symptoms during their first years of life.

Symptoms of thalassemia

• Facial bone deformities.
• growth retardation.
• Constant fatigue.
• hard breathing.
• Yellowing of the skin (jaundice).

Congenital pernicious anemia

Also known as Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia From its name, you can deduce that it occurs due to a lack of vitamin B12 in the body that helps form healthy red blood cells and maintain healthy nerves, and it occurs due to the inability of the stomach lining to produce a substance called intrinsic factor that helps absorb vitamin B12 from food, this type of anemia The blood affects the health of the nerves, and without treatment, it may lead to stomach cancer.

Symptoms of pernicious anemia

• Tingling and numbness in different parts of the body.
• general weakness.
• Confusion and disorientation.
• Poor memory.
• It may lead to hemiplegia and urinary and fecal incontinence.
• Vertigo.
• pale skin
• Heart palpitations.

Fanconi anemia

It is a rare genetic disease that is usually diagnosed before the age of 10 years. It occurs due to a defect in the bone marrow, which leads to the loss of its ability to produce healthy blood cells and platelets. People with this disease are at increased risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia or tumors in the brain, neck or skin. or gastrointestinal tract.

Fanconi anemia symptoms

More than 60% of those infected from birth show symptoms in the form of physical defects such as:

• Short stature.
• Deformities of the thumb or arms.
• Skeletal abnormalities of the hips, spine and ribs.
• Malformation of the kidneys.
• skin pigmentation.
• Small head size.
• Small eye size, widening of the distance between the eyes, or strabismus.
• Low birth weight.
• Small size of the genitals in males.
• Abnormalities in the tissues of the chambers of the heart.

There are also symptoms associated with the symptoms of anemia itself, such as dizziness, fatigue, headache, pale skin, difficulty breathing, and heart palpitations. There are also symptoms associated with imbalances in blood cells and platelets, which are bleeding from the nose and gums, and the appearance of bruises on the body.

Hereditary spherocytosis

In this type of hereditary anemia, a defect occurs in the shape of the red blood cells, so they take the shape of a ball instead of being flat and circular, so they become inflexible and stiff, so they cannot cross from the spleen to the rest of the body.

Symptoms of spherocytosis

Symptoms vary according to the severity of the condition, and symptoms may not appear at all. Normal anemia symptoms may appear, which are dizziness, shortness of breath, headache, fatigue, and heart palpitations. More obvious symptoms may appear, including:

• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice).
• Gallstones, the symptoms of which are sudden pain in the upper abdomen to the right or pain under the breastbone, sudden pain in the right shoulder, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, fever, jaundice.
• Sleeping a lot in children and not wanting to breastfeed.

Diagnosis of hereditary anemia

There are several analyzes and tests that the doctor will ask you to determine the type of anemia and its cause in order to develop a proper treatment plan. Basic tests include:

Treatment of hereditary anemia

Fortunately, almost all types of anemia can be treated or coexist with it, except for thalassemia, because it may cause the death of the fetus in its mother’s womb before it is born, and the treatment depends on the type of anemia and the cause of it. Nutritional supplements that compensate for the deficiency of nutrients such as iron and vitamin B12, or immunosuppressive drugs. After the necessary diagnosis and analysis, the doctor prescribes the appropriate treatment.

Finally, after you have learned about the types of hereditary anemia and its causes, you should know that hereditary anemia may be difficult to avoid in general, but a healthy diet can avoid you from developing other types of anemia as a result of a lack of nutrients so that no more complications occur, and if you have Another inquiry, you can consult one of our doctors from here.