NBNA Supports the "Know Your Red Blood Cell Count " Campaign
NBNA has joined the "Know Your Red Blood Cell Count" Campaign to help nurses and other health care providers understand and discuss the relationship between HIV positive individuals and anemia…the reason why simple, everyday activities are tiring and the treatments to gain more energy.
A study was conducted by Yankelovich and Partners to determine what HIV-positive persons knew about their red blood cell count. These results are based on 669 interviews with HIV-positive individuals. Of these interviews, 542 were conducted on the Internet, while the remaining 127 interviews (African Americans and Hispanics) were conducted via telephone. The total was weighted to known ethnic proportions for the HIV-positive community.
The Internet interviews and the telephone interviews were run concurrently with similar questionnaires. Telephone interviews of Hispanics were conducted in English and Spanish. Surveys were conducted between April 12 and May 2, 2001.
About HIV-Related Anemia
Simple activities that many people take for granted - such as climbing stairs, walking the dog, meeting a friend for coffee - can cause people living with HIV/AIDS to feel exhausted and weak. While sometimes this is the result of the disease itself, it can be the result of anemia - a condition that, if left untreated, may become severe enough to interfere with a person's daily activities and overall well-being.
The Condition
Anemia is a condition in which the
body does not have as many red blood cells as it should. Red blood cells are
produced in bone marrow and contain hemoglobin, the iron-containing protein
responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body.
The natural hormone called erythropoietin (EPO), which is made in the kidneys, stimulates bone marrow production of red blood cells. When an insufficient number of red blood cells is produced, hemoglobin levels drop, and the blood is no longer able to carry enough oxygen to nourish the body's tissues. HIV-related anemia is characterized by symptoms such as muscle weakness, shortness of breath, headache, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, and fatigue and can be a potentially debilitating condition.
Some causes of anemia, such as deficiencies in diet and blood loss, are temporary and treatable. Other chronic causes are often treatment-related and are more difficult to manage. For example, people with HIV are at special risk for anemia because many of the medications they use to treat their condition, such as AZT-containing regimens, can suppress bone marrow and subsequently reduce red blood cell count.
The amount of red blood cells in your body may be determined by measuring hematocrit or hemoglobin. Hematocrit is the volume percentage of red blood cells in whole blood. Hemoglobin is the amount of the oxygen-carrying molecule found in the blood and is measured in grams per deciliter of blood (g/dL). Hemoglobin and hematocrit are assessed using a routine blood test called a complete blood count (CBC).
Incidence and Prevalence
Anemia is a common complication among
people living with HIV/AIDS. Those with advanced stage AIDS are at particular
risk. Recent reports estimate that anemia occurs in up to 95 percent of patients
over the course of their infection, making it more common than other blood cell
conditions, such as platelet depletion (thrombocytopenia) or white blood cell
depletion (leukopenia).
Several studies have examined the incidence of anemia in HIV-infected persons and compared the risk of death for patients who developed anemia to those patients who did not develop the condition. One study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and based on the medical records of more than 32,000 patients, found that the risk of death was 148 percent greater among those patients (CD4 count = 200 cells/mL) who developed anemia than those patients who did not.
Treatment
Treating anemia in people with HIV/AIDS
may improve the patient's ability to engage in everyday activities and cope
with the disease. While physicians have traditionally relied on blood transfusions
to raise red blood cell levels and help restore energy, many now try to avoid
them because of the potential risk of infection, particularly in those populations
with suppressed immune systems.
There are medications that can supplement the body's natural supply of EPO to help increase hematocrit and hemoglobin levels. Patients should consult their health care professional for more information about treatments for anemia.
Anemia is a serious problem for people living with HIV/AIDS. Recognizing the symptoms of anemia, monitoring patient hemoglobin levels and aggressively treating the condition can help patients resume their normal daily routines.
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