I've tried to keep this site professional for most of it, so I get to mess around on the fun facts page. Leave me alone.
1. To start of cheerfully, Marie Curie died of aplastic anemia because she had too much fun with radioactive elements and x-rays. The radiation must have done something to her bone marrow (hmm I wonder how)
2. Most of the deaths caused by anemia are caused by iron deficiency anemia in developing countries, caused by tapeworms, HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis. All curable/preventable causes.
3. While we're at it, anemia affects over 3.5 billion people, mostly iron deficiency in women and children of developing countries
4. In developing countries, every other pregnant woman is anemia, and anemia constitutes 20% of maternal deaths worldwide. (okay this list is turning not very fun)
5. I might as well keep being morbid. Alpha thalassmia major essentially causes children to be stillborn or die soon after birth.
6. However, certain thalassmias and hemoglobinopathies (especially sickle cell anemia) can offer protection against malaria; for example, malaria-infected red blood cells of people with sickle cell anemia to turns into sickles, allowing the body to attempt to remove them from the body. This is why thalassmias and sickle cell anemia is more common in parts of the world with malaria.
3. While we're at it, anemia affects over 3.5 billion people, mostly iron deficiency in women and children of developing countries
4. In developing countries, every other pregnant woman is anemia, and anemia constitutes 20% of maternal deaths worldwide. (okay this list is turning not very fun)
5. I might as well keep being morbid. Alpha thalassmia major essentially causes children to be stillborn or die soon after birth.
6. However, certain thalassmias and hemoglobinopathies (especially sickle cell anemia) can offer protection against malaria; for example, malaria-infected red blood cells of people with sickle cell anemia to turns into sickles, allowing the body to attempt to remove them from the body. This is why thalassmias and sickle cell anemia is more common in parts of the world with malaria.
7. Lastly, this is the most inspiring thing I've read all day- how a U of Guelph student (Christopher Charles) helped reduce rates of iron-deficiency anemia in Cambodia with lucky iron fish. Since fish were a symbol of luck in Cambodia, his team literally handed out fish made of iron to women, who put it in their pot when they were making food. This decreased rates of anemia in users by 42%.
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