Instruction
#1-Macrocytic anemia is a category of anemia that results in the enlargement of the red blood cells. According to McCance and Huether (2019), in this type of anemia, the hemoglobin level in the red blood cells is low, implying a low supply of oxygen. Microcytic anemia is a type of anemia where the organs and the tissues in the body to do have sufficient oxygen. This is because the level of red blood cells is lower compared to the normal of 80 to 100 fL. Normocytic anemia, on the other hand, results from a low number of red blood cells. However, the red blood cells are of the normal size.
From the case study, the 21-year-old Greek female had a mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of 76 fL. Thus, the amount of red blood cells in the body was lower than the normal volume of 80 to 100 fL. Therefore, the female was suffering from microcytic anemia.
Salmen et al. (2017) wrote that oxygen supply is a critical function of the red blood cells. Any effect on the red blood cells can result in the impairment of the supply of oxygen into the blood and tissues in the body. Mistry et al. (2018) provided a succinct connection between anemia and oxygen supply and noted that a limited delivery of oxygen causes anemia. The implication is that a lower count of the red blood cells limits the amount of the oxygen supplied to the body. A major symptom of this impairment of oxygen is fatigue.
#2 Anemia results in the reduction of the capacity to the blood to transport oxygen. Therefore, to ensure survival, the bodies of patients compensate by increasing the rate of respiration as well as heart rate. The patients of anemia usually have to breathe more rapidly than usual to ensure that they can get oxygen as fast as possible and therefore compensate for the low carrying capacity due to the anemia (Nugent et al., 2020). The increased heart rate is important in anemia patients because it enables them to pump blood to all body parts very fast. The fast heart rate allows blood to and from the lungs rapidly and enables the patients to oxygen and remove carbon dioxide while minimizing the effects of inadequate oxygen that may include fatigue and others. However, the compensation has limits and if anemia is left untreated, the patient may experience tragic organ failure that may lead to death or morbidity (Spinelli & Bartlett, 2016). Therefore, treatment must follow diagnosis as fast as possible to enable the patient to recover.