Treatment of anemia: How to treat and what drugs are used + vitamins

Treatment of anemia depends on the cause of its occurrence.

Therapy for iron deficiency anaemia involves identifying and eliminating blood loss and replacing iron in the form of dietary supplements, either in tablets or intravenous preparations.

Initial acute treatment is 150-200 mg of iron per day. Later, one may switch to a lower dosage of 100 mg per day. Iron supplementation with folate and pyridoxine - vitamin B6 - is a very suitable combination.

Treatment is long-term and lasts at least 3-6 months.

Anaemia from vitamin B12 and folate deficiency is treated by substitution of the nutrients in question and inclusion of appropriate vitamin B12 and folate-rich foods as recommended in the section on causes.

Vitamin B12 substitution can also be in the form of intramuscular injections given every other day.

Anemia in chronic diseases is a concomitant sign of another underlying disease. Anemia should be managed by treatment of the primary disease.

If the anemia is severe, the acute treatment is blood transfusion or injection of a synthetic hormone that is naturally synthesized in the kidneys. This is erythropoietin - a hormone that stimulates blood formation.

Aplastic anemia caused by exposure to chemical and toxic substances is cured after omitting the provoking factor. With an autoimmune cause, immunosuppressive therapy is initiated.

In other cases, the patient is ready for bone marrow transplantation after fulfilling the indication criteria.

Treatment of sickle cell anaemia includes oxygen inhalation, pain medication and prevention of complications. In some cases, blood transfusions may be required. Folic acid supplementation is essential.

In most cases, thalassaemia is a mild anaemia that does not require treatment. More severe forms are treated in a similar way to other types of anaemia, but sometimes require surgical removal of the spleen or transplantation of blood stem cells or bone marrow.