Anemia is a general term for when your body’s red blood cells can’t do their job right. It is often a symptom of a disease rather than a disease itself.

Anemia usually develops due to one or more of the following:

• The body makes few red blood cells
• Too little hemoglobin in the red blood cells
• The body can’t make hemoglobin right
• Too little iron or other nutrients in the body
• Blood loss from bleeding
• The body destroys red blood cells
• Red blood cells break down too fast

There are many different types of anemia. They have different causes and change the red blood cells in different ways.

Aplastic and Red Cell Aplasia

These anemias happen when the bone marrow doesn't make enough red blood cells. They are due to damage to the bone marrow or problems in early red cell development.

• Aplastic anemia: The bone marrow slows or stops making new blood cells of all types, including red cells.
• Pure red cell aplasia (Diamond-Blackfan anemia, for example): A rare condition where bone marrow stops making only red blood cells.
• Transient erythroblastopenia of childhood (TEC): Red blood cell numbers drop temporarily, usually after a viral illness.

Hemolytic Anemia

This type of anemia happens when red blood cells break down faster than the body can replace them. Problems inside the red blood cells (intrinsic) or outside factors (extrinsic) can cause anemia.

• Intrinsic hemolytic anemia: Caused by a problem within the red blood cells. This includes hereditary hemolytic anemia, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and other genetic anemias.
• Extrinsic hemolytic anemia: Caused by something outside the red blood cells, like the immune system. In autoimmune hemolytic anemia, the body mistakenly destroys its red blood cells.It is usually due to infection, but may be a symptom of immune dysregulation, cancer or a side effect of a medication.

Genetic Anemias

Gene changes passed down from parent to child can affect how the body makes red blood cells or how they work. Here are some examples of genetic anemias disorders.

• Sickle cell disease: Red blood cells are crescent-shaped and break down too early, causing anemia, pain and other problems.
• Thalassemia: A genetic condition that affects how the body makes hemoglobin. It can cause mild to severe anemia.
• G6PD deficiency: A genetic enzyme problem that causes red blood cells to break apart when exposed to certain triggers.
• Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia: A rare genetic condition that causes abnormal red blood cell development.

Nutritional Anemias

These anemias happen when the body doesn’t get enough nutrients to make healthy red blood cells.

• Iron deficiency anemia: The most common type in kids. It happens when the body doesn’t have enough iron to make hemoglobin.
• Folate-deficiency anemia: The body doesn’t get enough folate, a vitamin needed to make red blood cells.
• Vitamin B12–deficiency anemia: Less common in kids but can happen with poor diet or absorption problems. It can lead to megaloblastic pernicious anemia, which is due to large, immature red blood cells that don’t work well.

Anemia of Chronic Disease

This type of anemia happens with long-term illnesses or inflammation. The body slows red blood cell production or has trouble using iron. Common in children with infections, autoimmune conditions or kidney disease.

Chronic and Immune-Related Anemia

These anemias often happen along with long-term illnesses or problems with the immune system. They may come on slowly and last a long time.

• Chronic anemia: Develops over time, often due to long-term illness, poor nutrition or other health issues.
• Autoimmune hemolytic anemia: Also listed under hemolytic anemia, this condition happens when the immune system destroys red blood cells by mistake.
• Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria: A rare condition where red blood cells break apart, especially at night, due to a genetic change in the bone marrow.

Sideroblastic Anemia

This anemia happens when the body has enough iron but can’t use it properly to make healthy red blood cells. In sideroblastic anemia, the bone marrow stores iron in the wrong way, which stops red blood cells from forming normally.

Treatment for anemia depends on your child’s age, health and exact diagnosis. Our team creates a personalized plan to match your child’s needs. Care may include:

• Vitamin or mineral supplements
• Diet changes to support red blood cell health
• Medicines to help anemia
• Stopping medicines that may cause anemia
• Treating the underlying illness
• Blood transfusions to replace lost or damaged cells
• Surgery to remove the spleen (in some hemolytic anemias)
• Antibiotics if an infection causes anemia
• Bone marrow transplant for aplastic anemia

From the first visit, we work to understand your child’s full health picture. We start with a physical exam, questions about symptoms and lab tests like a complete blood count. Once we find the cause, we explain it in simple terms and walk you through your options.

You can expect:

• A clear diagnosis based on lab tests and expert review
• A personalized treatment plan that fits your child’s needs
• Follow-up care to track progress and adjust treatment if needed
• Support from nurses, social workers and dietitians every step of the way

We make sure you and your child feel heard, supported and confident in their care.