Does COVID-19 Cause Anemia?
People with COVID-19 can develop anemia due to increased levels of inflammation in the body. Research has found that COVID-19 with anemia is associated with more severe symptoms in people hospitalized for COVID-19.
COVID-19 can lead to a variety of blood-related issues, including blood clots and changes in white blood cell or platelet counts.
Anemia can also happen with COVID-19. This is a condition where you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells (RBCs). However, most cases of COVID-19 with anemia have been reported in people who were hospitalized due to COVID-19.
The article examines the relationship between anemia and COVID-19 and what you can do if you develop anemia along with COVID-19.
Anemia can happen in people who have COVID-19. So far, though, it has mainly been reported in people who’ve been hospitalized with COVID-19.
A 2021 study of people hospitalized with COVID-like symptoms found that those who tested positive for COVID-19 were more likely to have anemia than those who tested negative. Anemia was mostly mild and associated with inflammation.
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This type of anemia is called anemia of inflammation. Anemia of inflammation can also happen with a variety of other conditions associated with inflammation in the body, including autoimmune diseases and cancer.
It’s also possible for anemia of inflammation in COVID-19 to be associated with deficiencies in iron and in vitamins like vitamin B12 or folate.
Other types of anemia have also been reported in people with COVID-19, but these are much less common. Two examples are hemolytic anemia and aplastic anemia.
Hemolytic anemia is when RBCs are destroyed faster than they can be replaced. With COVID-19, it’s believed to occur due to an autoimmune effect or direct injury to RBCs, according to 2022 research .
Aplastic anemia is when the bone marrow doesn’t make enough blood cells, including RBCs. In rare cases, new aplastic anemia has been reported in people who’ve had COVID-19, according to a small 2022 study .
What is anemia?
Anemia is a condition where you have a lower-than-typical count of RBCs. Because the function of RBCs is to deliver oxygen, having anemia means that the organs and tissues of your body aren’t getting enough oxygen.
Some of the general symptoms of anemia are:
- fatigue
- weakness
- dizziness or lightheadedness
- shortness of breath
- pale skin
- rapid or irregular heartbeat
