ANAEMIA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 September 1938, Page 10

ANAEMIA

i e PRIMARY. AND SECONDARY, d s ■’ Literally anaemia means without g r blood, but in medicine it is used to _ mean a condition in which there is . either a marked shortage in the nums ber of blood corpuscles circulating in - the blood, or a state in which the 1 number of blood corpuscles is normal, ' but there is a shortage of haemoglobin ’ in each corpuscle. In the majority of , cases there is both shortage of blood > cells and of haemoglobin. To understand anaemia one must know that the red blood corpuscles are filled with haemoglobin. This is a remarkable substance that has the power of absorbing oxygen during its passage through the lungs and carrying it ' to all parts of the body where it is ' needed. It also carries the carbon-di- ■ ; oxide from the parts of the body to the , ! lungs, where it is given up, escapes in i the breath, and the corpuscles pick up 1 more oxygen to complete the cycle. It 1 ’ follows that if there is any deficiency | in the haemoglobin all parts of the

body are starved of oxygen, and tha the poisonous carbon dioxide is retain' ed in the tissues instead of being carried to the lungs and got rid of. Special Diet. The chief primary anaemias are a haemoglobin shortage variety occurring mainly among women toward middle age, and pernicious anaemia, in which the red corpuscles are too few. but each corpuscle is large and filled with haemoglobin. What are known as secondary anaemias are those which occur as the result of chronic disease, such as cancer, liver, kidney, and other wasting disease, and also after acute disease and operations. The important thing is whether the anaemia is mainly one of too few corpuscles or too little haemoglobin. It follows from the above that before any anaemia can be properly treated it is necessary to find into which of these groups it falls. In the anaemias characterised by shortage of haemoglobin the great necessity is to supply the body with iron. Iron is present in many foods, but especially in red meat, yolk of egg, and, to a le&er degree, in some green vegetables. Spinach has a great reputation in this respect, as has also cabbage, but as a matter of fact it would require an enormous amount of spinach to supply as much iron as can be taken from a few ounces of meat. Spinach is much over-rated as a source of iron, although it is a valuable diet for other reasons.

A diet rich in grills, eggs, and roast beef will serve to maintain the normal amount of iron in the body, but when a definite shortage has occurred iron must be given as a medicine. Fortunately iron is cheap. If one wishes to try home remedies one can get a saturated solution of iron and ammonia citrate and take half to one teaspoonful three times a day after meals. This should be discontinued for a day or two if it causes indigestion, and then taken in reduced doses. This treatment is quite harmless. Pernicious Anaemia. Pernicious anaemia is an entirely different matter. Until recent years it was almost invariably fatal. Improvement often occurred when given arsenic and other drugs, but relapse was almost universal. A few years ago it was discovered that a substance occurs naturally in the liver and part of the stomach that caused an increase in the blood corpuscles and cured many cases of pernicious anaemia if given by the mouth. Cooked liver is of little use, and raw liver is difficult to take in the necessary amount of half a pound a day. There are now on the market many extracts of liver and stomach that are prescribed either by mouth or injected. These have changed the whole outlook on this disease, and have made a full life possible to many who were otherwise condemned to death. In advanced cases it is sometimes necessary to give a transfusion of blood to tide the patient over the dangerous stage.