What is normocytic anemia?
Normocytic anemia is a blood problem. It means you have normal-sized red blood cells, but you have a low number of them. The presence of normal-sized red blood cells tells your doctor that you have normocytic anemia rather than another kind of anemia. For example, when anemia is caused by having too little iron in your diet, you have small red blood cells. When anemia is caused by having too little vitamin B12, you have extra large red blood cells. What causes normocytic anemia? Normocytic anemia can be congenital (a problem you were born with) or acquired (caused by an infection or disease). Congenital normocytic anemia is caused by the breaking up of red blood cells. Sickle cell disease is a congenital disorder of red blood cells. The most common cause of the acquired form of normocytic anemia is a long-term (chronic) disease. Chronic diseases that can cause normocytic anemia include kidney disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and thyroiditis. Some medicines can cause you to have no
