Anemia

Anemia is derived from Greek, (an-haîma) meaning "without blood." It is defined as a qualitative or quantitative deficiency of hemoglobin, a molecule inside red blood cells (RBCs). As hemoglobin carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues, anemia leads to hypoxia (lack of oxygen) in organs. The three main classes of anemia include excessive blood loss (acute or chronic), excessive blood cell destruction (hemolysis) or deficient red blood cell production. Anemia is the most common disorder of the blood.