Diseases of the Red Blood Cells

The most common condition affecting the red blood cells of children and adolescents is anemia (pronounced: uh-nee-mee-uh), a lower-than-normal number of red cells in the blood. Anemia is accompanied by a decrease in the amount of hemoglobin present in the blood. The symptoms of anemia - such as pale skin, weakness, a fast heart rate, and poor growth in infants and children - happen because of the blood's reduced capacity for carrying oxygen. The causes of anemia can be grouped into two main categories: those due to inadequate production of red blood cells and those due to unusually rapid red blood cell destruction. In more severe cases of chronic anemia, as well as when a large amount of blood is lost, a child or teen may need a transfusion of red blood cells or whole blood.

• Anemia resulting from inadequate red blood cell production
  There are several conditions that can cause a reduced production of red blood cells, including:

  • Iron deficiency anemia. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia and affects kids and teens of any age who have a diet low in iron or who've lost a lot of red blood cells (and the iron they contain) through bleeding. Premature babies, infants with poor nutrition, menstruating teenage girls, and those with ongoing blood loss due to illnesses such as inflammatory bowel disease are especially likely to have iron deficiency anemia.
  • Lead poisoning. When lead enters the body, most of it goes into red blood cells where it can interfere with the production of hemoglobin. This can result in anemia. Lead poisoning can also affect - and sometimes permanently damage - other body tissues including the brain and nervous system. Although lead poisoning is much less common than it once was in the United States, it still is a problem in many larger cities, especially where young children might ingest paint chips or the dust that comes from lead-containing paints peeling off the walls in older buildings.
  • Anemia due to chronic disease. Children with chronic diseases (such as cancer or human immunodeficiency virus infection) often develop anemia as a complication of their illness.
  • Anemia due to kidney disease. The kidneys produce erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates production of red cells in the bone marrow. Kidney disease can interfere with the production of this hormone.

• Anemia resulting from unusually rapid red blood cell destruction
  When red blood cells are destroyed more quickly than normal by disease (this process is called hemolysis, pronounced: hih-mah-luh-sus), the bone marrow will make up for it by increasing production of new red cells to take their place. But if red blood cells are destroyed faster than they can be replaced, a person will develop anemia. There are several causes of increased red blood cell destruction that can affect teens:
  • G6PD deficiency. G6PD is an enzyme that helps to protect red blood cells from the destructive effects of certain chemicals found in foods and medications. When the enzyme is deficient, these chemicals can cause red cells to hemolyze, or burst. G6PD deficiency is a common hereditary disease among people of African, Mediterranean, and Southeast Asian descent.
  • Hereditary spherocytosis (pronounced: sfeer-o-sye-toe-sus) is an inherited condition in which red blood cells are misshapen (like tiny spheres, instead of disks) and especially fragile because of a genetic problem with a protein in the structure of the red blood cell. This fragility causes the cells to be easily destroyed.
  • Autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Sometimes - because of disease or for no known reason - the body's immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys red blood cells.
  • Sickle cell anemia, most common in people of African descent, is a hereditary disease that results in the production of abnormal hemoglobin. The red blood cells become sickle shaped, they cannot carry oxygen adequately, and they are easily destroyed. The sickle-shaped blood cells also tend to abnormally stick together, causing obstruction of blood vessels. This blockage in the blood vessels can seriously damage organs and cause bouts of severe pain.

Article from KidsHealth.org