教育演講：常見小兒疾病預防與處理－貧血症

Anemia can be defined as a lower than normal value for hemoglobin, hematocrit or number of red blood cells per cubic millimeter. Those who are aged 6~23 months with hemoglobin below 10 gm/dL, or aged 2~5 years with hemoglobin below 11 gm/dL, or aged 6~12 years with hemoglobin below 12 gm/dL need further examination to solve the problem. The importance of a good family history deserves emphasis because anemia often have a hereditary basis. The various causes of anemia have relative frequency in various ages of children. In early infancy, ABO incompatible hemolysis disease of newborn, hemorrhage either acute or chronic, anemia of prematurity, and iron deficiency anemia are the most common. While anemia of chronic disease, aplastic anemia, acquired immune hemolytic anemia, thalassemia, anemia of the red cell membrane abnormalities or enzymopathy are prevalent in later infancy and childhood. This article emphasizes the developmental changes in red cell production and function, the signs and symptoms of anemia, the morphologic changes of red cells in various disease, the skeletal changes in anemia, and lastly the importance of thalassemia in Taiwan. The treatment, such as: iron preparation, folic acid, vitamin B12, steroid, transfusion, iron chelation therapy, anti-thymocyt globulin, splenectomy and bone marrow transplantation, should be given according to the etiological diagnosis.