Common Causes of Anemia
Mechanism | Examples |
|---|---|
Chronic excessive bleeding | Cancer in the digestive tract Ulcers in the stomach or small intestine |
Sudden excessive bleeding | Injuries A ruptured blood vessel Surgery |
Decreased red blood cell production | Chronic inflammation, infection, or cancer (anemia of chronic disease) Metastatic cancer Myelodysplasia (abnormalities in bone marrow tissue) |
Increased red blood cell destruction | Autoimmune reactions against red blood cells Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency Hereditary elliptocytosis Hereditary spherocytosis Hereditary stomatocytosis Hereditary xerocytosis Mechanical damage to red blood cells Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria |