Search results
Feb 3, 2019 · Loneliness can be damaging to both our mental and physical health. Socially isolated people are less able to deal with stressful situations. They're also more likely to feel depressed and may have problems processing information. This in turn can lead to difficulties with decision-making and memory storage and recall.
May 14, 2014 · When people are isolated from human contact, their mind can do some truly bizarre things, says Michael Bond. Why does this happen?
Mar 28, 2015 · Any time mental health experts evaluate someone as “a danger to self or others,” they must keep in mind that being dangerous is not necessarily either/or; unstable people can certainly be...
Sep 6, 2016 · Whether our weakness is extreme sports, speeding, drugs or other dangerous behaviours, it is typically a mix of risk and novelty that draw us in. What psychologists call “novelty seeking” is the preference for the unexpected or new.
- Overview
- What is anemia?
- Why you can die from anemia
- What are the symptoms of anemia?
- What causes life-threatening anemia?
- How is anemia diagnosed?
- What is the treatment for serious anemia?
- Outlook for people with serious anemia?
Some types of anemia, including aplastic anemia and severe thalassemia, can potentially be life threatening. Treatment depends on the underlying cause.
Anemia is a condition where you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells, to carry oxygen throughout your body. Anemia can be temporary or long term (chronic). In many cases, it’s mild, but anemia can also be serious and life-threatening.
Anemia can happen because:
•Your body doesn’t make enough red blood cells.
•Bleeding causes you to lose red blood cells more quickly than they can be replaced.
Aplastic anemia
Aplastic anemia is when your bone marrow becomes damaged, and your body therefore stops producing new blood cells. It can be sudden or get worse over time. Common causes of aplastic anemia include •cancer treatment •exposure to toxic chemicals •pregnancy •autoimmune disorders •viral infections It can also have no known cause, which is referred to as idiopathic aplastic anemia.
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria is a rare, life-threatening disease. It causes blood clots, destroys blood cells, and impairs bone marrow function. It’s a genetic condition, usually diagnosed in people who are in their 30s or 40s. Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria is related to aplastic anemia. It often starts as aplastic anemia or arises after treatment for the condition.
Myelodysplastic syndromes
Myelodysplastic syndromes are a group of conditions that cause the blood-making cells in your bone marrow to become abnormal. Your bone marrow then doesn’t make enough cells, and the cells it does make are generally defective. These cells die earlier and are more likely to be destroyed by your immune system. Myelodysplastic syndromes are considered a type of cancer. They may turn into acute myeloid leukemia, a type of blood cancer.
Common symptoms of anemia include:
•fatigue
•cold hands and feet
•dizziness
•headache
•lightheadedness
Genetics
These are conditions that cause anemia and are inherited, which means they are passed down through one or both parents through your genes. •sickle cell •thalassemia •some hemolytic anemias •Fanconi anemia •paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria
Bleeding
Severe bleeding can cause sudden, short-term anemia. For example, this might happen after a traumatic injury where you lose a lot of blood.
Cancer
Cancers of the blood, lymphatic system, and bone marrow can cause anemia. Examples include: •aplastic anemia •some hemolytic anemias •myelodysplastic syndromes
First, your doctor will take your family and medical history. Then they will do a physical exam to look for symptoms of anemia. After that, your doctor will draw blood for several tests. The most common are:
•complete blood count to count the number of red blood cells and the amount of hemoglobin in your blood
•tests to look at the size and shape of your red blood cells
Once you’re diagnosed with anemia, your doctor may do more testing to see if they can find the underlying cause of anemia. For example, they might do a bone marrow test to see how well your body makes red blood cells, look for internal bleeding, or scan for tumors.
Treating severe anemia takes more than just diet and lifestyle changes, although eating a healthy diet with lots of iron can help keep you healthy.
Sometimes, treating anemia requires treating the underlying cause. Examples include:
•chemotherapy for myelodysplastic syndrome
•eculizumab (Soliris) for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, which keeps your body from destroying red blood cells
•immunosuppressants for some types of aplastic anemia and hemolytic anemias
In all types of anemia, blood transfusions can help replace your lost or defective red blood cells and reduce symptoms. However, it usually does not address the underlying cause.
Anemia in general causes 1.7 deaths per 100,000 people in the United States annually. It is usually treatable if caught quickly, although some types are chronic, which means they need continual treatment.
The outlook for people with serious anemia will depend on the cause:
•Aplastic anemia. People who are younger than 40 years old with severe aplastic anemia are usually treated with a bone marrow transplant. This can cure aplastic anemia. People over 40 years old, or for whom there’s not a good bone marrow match, are usually treated with medications. These can reduce symptoms but aren’t a cure. Up to 50 percent of patients treated with drug therapy have their aplastic anemia return, or develop another, related blood disorder.
•Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. The median survival time after diagnosis of PNH is 10 years. However, new treatments can help people with this condition live to a normal life expectancy.
•Myelodysplastic syndromes. Without treatment, the median survival time for myelodysplastic syndromes range from less than a year to approximately 12 years, depending on factors such as number of chromosome abnormalities and level of red blood cells. However, treatment is often successful, especially for certain types of this condition.
•Hemolytic anemias. The outlook for hemolytic anemias depends on the underlying cause. Hemolytic anemia itself is rarely fatal, especially if treated early and properly, but the underlying conditions can be.
- Erica Hersh
Sep 28, 2010 · How are we suppose to feel safe in a world full of danger and impermanence? Why is it that some people can breeze through life with confidence and calm, while others are consumed by thoughts of danger and betrayal?
People also ask
How do you feel about being unsafe?
Can anemia be life threatening?
What makes a person feel safe?
What does it mean to feel safe?
What happens if you live underground without daylight?
Is our safety threatened by a single event?
Evidence links perceived loneliness and social isolation with depression, poor sleep quality, impaired executive function, accelerated cognitive decline, poor cardiovascular function and impaired immunity at every stage of life.
