When your body has a deficiency in the number of red blood cells it needs, it becomes unable to carry enough oxygen to the tissues within the body. This condition is known as anemia. Anemia can come in many forms, with several different names, and each of these types of anemia has its own root cause. Some types of anemia can be treated and go away quickly leaving your body without any trace of the symptoms, while other types of anemia are long-term and though you may be able to help the symptoms, you will not be able to get rid of it.

Based on what type of anemia you have, you will either experience very mild symptoms or severe symptoms (i.e., extreme fatigue, weakness, pale skin. shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, cold hands and/or feet, or chronic headaches) that make life difficult. If you think you may have anemia, you should get to a doctor so they can diagnose your type of anemia and start your treatments immediately. Below are the main types of anemia and the symptoms that accompany them:

1. Iron deficiency anemia
When most people hear that they have anemia, they automatically think they have an iron deficiency, this is due to the fact that this is the most common type of anemia around the globe. This type of deficiency happens when your iron is low so your body cannot get enough hemoglobin to the red blood cells. It is most often found in pregnant women, people who have lost a lot of blood, people with diseases like cancer, and those who take over the counter meds, like Aspirin or Ibuprofen.

2. Vitamin B-12 deficiency
When there is not enough B-12 being produced, your body cannot make enough healthy red blood cells. Vitamin B12 deficiency can also exist as pernicious anemia, an autoimmune condition that causes a decrease in red blood cells because the intestines can’t absorb vitamin B12 adequately. While pernicious anemia must be treated with B12 injections, regular B12 deficiency can be relieved by taking B-12 and folate supplements and eating B12 rich foods (i.e., vegetarians and vegans).

3. Anemia due to chronic disease
Diseases such as cancer, kidney failure, arthritis, HIV, and Crohn’s disease can cause your red blood cells to stop reproducing at a rate fast enough. This type of anemia is common in patients with the above named diseases, but it can be extremely difficult to treat and often requires iron injections or iron infusions to get their levels back up to where they need to be.