Anemia means that hemoglobin, red blood cell count or red blood cell volume (hematocrit) in circulating blood per unit volume is lower than the lower limit of normal value. This normal value may vary with gender, age, altitude of living area and physiological plasma volume. Generally speaking, the hemoglobin of infants and pre-adolescent children is lower than that of adults, and the difference between men and women is obvious after puberty. Because of the increase of blood volume, the hemoglobin of pregnant women is relatively reduced, and the hemoglobin of residents living in higher altitude areas for a long time is higher than the normal value of residents at sea level. Therefore, the diagnosis of anemia should comprehensively consider various factors. In practical work, it is usually necessary to measure the amount of hemoglobin, the number of red blood cells and the volume of red blood cells per unit volume.

According to the standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO) 1972, people with hemoglobin below the following values are considered as anemia: 6 months to 6 years old, 6 ~ 10g/L, 6 ~ 14 years old, adult males 120g/L, and adult females/KLOC. The standard of anemia in China is (g/L): adult male < 125, adult female < < l 10, pregnant woman < 1. According to the different hemoglobin content, the severity of anemia can be divided into the following four grades: ① Mild: the lower limit of hemoglobin is ~ 9 1g/L, and the symptoms are mild. ② Moderate: hemoglobin 90g/L ~ 6 1g/L, and palpitation and shortness of breath after manual labor. ③ Severity: Hemoglobin 60g/L ~ 3 1g/L, feeling flustered and short of breath at rest. ④ Extreme: hemoglobin < 30g/L, often complicated with anemia heart disease.

The most common anemia in China is iron deficiency anemia. Because iron is an essential raw material to produce hemoglobin (hemoglobin), if iron supply is insufficient and hemoglobin is reduced, anemia will easily occur. For iron deficiency anemia, commonly used blood-enriching drugs are as follows:

Ferrous sulfate tablets are ferrous iron, which is easy to absorb and has obvious curative effect. If taken together with pepsin mixture and vitamin C, it will promote its absorption. When used with tetracyclines, they can form complexes that hinder absorption. Generally taken after meals, it can reduce the irritation to the gastrointestinal tract, but it can still cause stomach discomfort, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other reactions, and occasionally lead to constipation. After taking the medicine, the stool is grayish black because some iron is discharged from the stool. During taking, it is not advisable to drink tea, coffee or eat food such as olives, because the tannic acid contained in it will combine with iron to produce precipitation, which will affect the curative effect.