What is Anemia of Chronic Disease?
The presence of certain chronic medical conditions, such as cancer , and infectious and inflammatory diseases, can lead to the development of anemia. Anemia is a blood disorder occurring when abnormally low levels of red blood cells are found in the blood.
With anemia of chronic disease (ACD), the body cannot effectively use iron to make new red blood cells even though levels of stored iron in the body’s tissue are normal or high. As a result, the number of healthy new red blood cells gradually falls. Similarly, levels of hemoglobin, the component of red blood cells that carries oxygen to the tissues and muscles, also drop. Although ACD is the second most common form of anemia. It is rarely severe.