All You Need To Know About Anaemia
What is Anaemia? Anaemia refers to the situation when there is a decrease in the level of haemoglobin (Hb) in the blood below the reference range for the age and sex of the individual affected. In other words, it’s a condition in which one lacks enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your body tissues. Haemoglobin is the substance (a protein) in your red blood cell that carries oxygen from your lungs to your organs and tissues and transports carbon dioxide from your organs and tissues back to your lungs for exhalation into the atmosphere. Thus, when your haemoglobin level is low, its ability to carry adequate oxygen for supply to your tissues becomes compromised. HOW COMMON IS ANEMIA? Globally, anaemia is estimated to affect more than 2 billion people (approximately 30% of the world’s human population). WHO further estimates that 42% of children less than 5 years of age, and 40% of pregnant women worldwide are anaemic. It is known to be more common in resource-po