How to check for anemia
Anemia is a common condition but can be risky if not diagnosed in time. There are many causes of anemia and out of which blood loss anemia is more common. It can occur in disorders that cause loss of blood, for example, piles or ulcers or can even affect women due to heavy menstrual blood loss.
However, you can check for the possibility of the presence of anemia. Some of the signs and symptoms suggestive of anemia are:
· Feeling of fatigue and weakness most of time
· Feeling of lack of energy to do daily activities, difficulty in concentration
· Dizziness or fainting especially on exertion
· Feeling short of breath or excessive cold feeling
· Feeling of numbness or tingling in hand, feet or fingers
· Pale appearance of face, palms or eyes
· Brittleness of nails and hair causing easy nail breaking and hair fall
Anemia test
While you can check for possible symptoms and signs of anemia, it is confirmed by the presence of low hemoglobin level in the blood as compared to normal range for that age and gender. These tests are generally performed in laboratories.
With the ‘Do it yourself’ health as the latest trend, home tests are available that can be performed to confirm the presence of anemia. The home test comes as a kit and includes all the items like test device, sterile lancet, collecting vial etc required for the test. It also contains the instruction leaflet that gives details of the entire procedure and related information.
The sterile lancet is used to prick the finger and blood is drawn as per the instructions. The drop of blood is placed on the specified area on the test device and the results are awaited. By the end of the specified time, the device shows the hemoglobin levels in the blood, which can be compared with the normal range.
