What Are The Symptoms Of Sideroblastic Anemia?

Increased Fatigue

A common symptom in sideroblastic anemia patients is noticeably increased fatigue. Mild to moderate cases may only cause fatigue upon physical exertion, while more severe cases can present as fatigue even when the individual is at rest. In a healthy individual, nutrients are absorbed from the food they consume, and they are then used at the cellular level in processes that synthesize them into a form of usable energy for the cells called ATP. ATP is the main form of energy cells use to carry out their specialized functions that collectively come together and allow the organs and organ systems around the body to do their jobs.

Individuals with sideroblastic anemia have bone marrow that produces red blood cells that cannot successfully synthesize iron into hemoglobin. Hemoglobin deficiency in the blood is a condition that results in a deprivation of oxygen to cells around the body. Without enough oxygen, the cells cannot effectively carry out the process to synthesize nutrients into ATP. When the cells cannot produce enough ATP, the individual's body has to be selective and preserve the energy produced for cells that perform vital functions, rather than for those used during physical activity.

Difficulty Breathing

Some sideroblastic anemia patients have difficulty breathing as a symptom of their condition. The lungs in a healthy individual take in air from the outside of the body and are responsible for removing carbon dioxide from the blood and replacing it with oxygen. For the blood to hold a sufficient amount of oxygen and then successfully deliver it to the tissues and organs around the individual's body, the red blood cells have to contain enough functioning hemoglobin.

Individuals with sideroblastic anemia have red blood cells that do not contain enough hemoglobin to oxygenate tissues around the body the way they should. The brain detects this oxygen deprivation in the bodily tissues, and it sends signals to the individual's lungs to work faster and harder to improve the poor oxygen concentration levels in the blood. As a result of this homeostatic reaction, the patient may experience trouble breathing upon engaging in light physical activity or even at rest as their brain and lungs attempt to compensate for poor oxygenation of the cells and tissues around the body.