Definition: Acidemia occurs when there is a deficiency in red blood cells (red blood cells) or a reduced production of hemoglobin (the protein that carries oxygen throughout the body). In this situation, the body cannot produce enough iron to replace any loss in the form of haemolysis. There are two types of acidaemia: - Acute onset anaemia - Chronic anaemia A brief description of each is given below: Acute onset anaemia is when a person has just been injured or attacked and lost blood. In this case, their hemoglobin levels are low. Chronic anaemia occurs as the body cannot produce enough iron to replace any loss in the form of haemolysis. There are several causes for chronic anaemia including: - Iron deficiency - Vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency - Chronic renal failure - Hemorrhage Hematocrit levels (percentage of red blood cells in the bloodstream) can be low, high, or normal. An abnormal level is known as anemic. In a person with chronic anaemia, their haemoglobin levels may still be relatively normal but will become low and their hemoglobin binding capacity to iron will also decrease. Hematocrit (percentage of red blood cells in the bloodstream) can vary from 20% to over 95%. A normal value is around 35-40%, however, there are some conditions where it may be less or more. These two types of anaemia are usually treated with iron supplements and blood transfusions. For a person who has already lost their red blood cells due to injury or attack (such as severe bleeding), the doctor would usually treat them with a platelet-boosting drug called Plasminogen Inducible Factor 12 (PIF). PIF increases the production of activated factor XIII, which is then released in the body. This can help stimulate the platelets and restore their function. If the patient has chronic anaemia, they would be treated with transfusions from blood donors to replace the loss in iron caused by haemolysis. These are just the basics and there are many more things that could cause acute or chronic acidaemia.

acidaemia