Drugs For Treating Anemia

Drugs to treat anemia depend on what caused the anemia in the patient. Not all types of anemia are caused by the same thing,  which is why treatments can vary.

Anemia is a disorder that causes a decrease in the levels of oxygen in the blood. This happens when the concentration of hemoglobin decreases. It is a molecule that is rich in iron and is present in red blood cells.

Nowadays, there are many effective treatment options to treat this problem and you can learn about them in this article. Medicines to treat anemia are primarily based on adapting or correcting the specific cause of the disorder. Among the treatment options we have:

• Supplementation of basic nutrients
• Blood-forming stimuli
• Immunosuppressive agents
• Bone marrow transplantation

What are the possible causes of anemia?

There are three primary causes of anemia. First , it can take place because one’s own body does not produce enough red blood cells,  which are the blood cells that contain hemoglobin. As we mentioned, hemoglobin is the molecule that transports oxygen around the body.

Like the other, it can also be caused by heavy bleeding, whether it is due to an injury or heavy menstruation in women. Many young women need to take iron supplements because of this.

And third, we have autoimmune diseases, which destroy red blood cells.

Drugs to treat anemia

Supplementation of basic nutrients to treat anemia

The first drug to treat anemia consists of taking supplements that help in the synthesis of eyrthropoietin, which is a protein our bodies need to create new red blood cells. Among the supplements that doctors usually recommend are these two:

• Iron:  This is more effective when treating iron deficiency anemia.
• Vitamins:  Specifically vitamin B12 or cobalamin, vitamin B6 or pyridoxine and folic acid or vitamin B-9. These vitamins are necessary for the synthesis of red blood cells.

Blood-forming stimuli or the synthesis of eyrthropoietin

Another drug to treat anemia is by giving blood-forming stimuli. These drugs  promote the formation of red blood cells in the bone marrow.

They are generally used for anemia that causes chronic kidney failure. In addition, they are also recommended to reduce the number of blood transfusions needed during certain important surgeries as well as after surgeries.

Some of these drugs are:

• Eyrthropoietin:  This is a substance that stimulates the release and maturation of red blood cells. One’s body’s natural levels of eyrthropoietin increase when one’s red blood cell count decreases. However, it is only useful for anemia with a deficiency of eyrthropoietin such as in chronic renal failure.
• Colony stimulating factors:  Filgrastim or lenograstim and granulocyte-macrophage stimulants such as sargramostim are hormones that promote the growth of blood cells produced in the bone marrow. Because of this, they are useful in case of neutropenia caused by chemotherapy or also during a bone marrow transplant.

Immunosuppressive agents to treat anemia

These are drugs that weaken the immune system and  are therefore useful for disorders in which the immune system attacks or harms the patient. Some types of anemia are associated with poor functioning of this natural defense system in our bodies. Because of this, doctors prescribe these drugs to try to treat these disorders.

Bone marrow transplantation

This treatment  has shown excellent results for certain types of anemia. For example, sickle cell anemia, which affects a significant number of people. This disease makes red blood cells stiff, sticky and shaped like a seal.

Doctors have already performed a specialized bone marrow transplant, which was able to successfully cure this disease.

However, despite the good results that can already be seen from the procedure,  it is also important to have follow-up tests  to better evaluate the treatment, as it is still experimental.

Each type of anemia has a treatment

As we explained in this article, there are different options for treatment depending on the type of anemia that the patient is suffering from. We recommend talking to a doctor if you have any doubts  and then you can decide with them what is the best way to treat the disorder.