Complications of Anemia

Complications list for Anemia: The list of complications that have been mentioned in various sources for Anemia includes:

• High-output heart failure (see Heart symptoms)
• Angina
• Heart damage (see Heart symptoms)
• Heart failure
• Heart attack

Complications of Anemia: Mild anemia does not have any significant long-term consequences. However, as the anemia becomes more severe, there are medical problems which may arise. The most serious of these involve the heart. Severe anemia may cause a condition called high-output heart failure, where the heart must work harder to provide enough oxygen to the brain and other internal organs. The heart beats faster and increases the amount of blood that is delivered per minute. When this condition occurs in individuals that have existing heart disease, the heart may be unable to keep up with this increased demand, and symptoms of heart failure such as difficulty breathing and leg swelling may occur. Individuals who have coronary artery disease, or narrowing of the blood vessels supplying blood to the heart, may develop symptoms of angina, the pain associated with an insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle. Depending on the age of the woman and the degree of coronary artery disease, angina may develop with even mild anemia. In severe cases, the heart muscle may be permanently injured, and the woman will be at increased risk for a heart attack. ¹

Footnotes:
1. excerpt from Anemia: NWHIC

Last revision: May 20, 2003

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