Aging & Health A to Z
Anemia
Care & Treatment
If you are diagnosed with anemia, your healthcare professional will treat the underlying cause(s), perhaps by prescribing iron supplements for iron-deficiency anemia, or with periodic injections or oral supplements of vitamin B12 or folic acid (the synthetic version of folate) for pernicious anemia.
If you have hemolytic anemia, your healthcare professional might prescribe steroids or could even recommend surgery to remove your spleen, if it is enlarged. Certain kinds of severe anemia might require hormone injection treatments to increase red blood cell production. You may need a blood transfusion if your blood counts are very low or if you are having severe symptoms from your anemia.
Updated: March 2012
Posted: March 2012