Final answer:
Anemia symptoms such as pallor, weakness, and fatigue occur when the blood's oxygen-carrying capacity is impaired. Severe anemia can lead to more critical symptoms, and anemia can be caused by various factors, including nutritional deficiencies and genetic disorders.
Step-by-step explanation:
If anemia develops over months, the signs and symptoms (S&S) commonly observed include pallor, weakness, and fatigue. These symptoms arise because anemia affects the blood's capacity to carry oxygen, which is essential for the normal function of all organ systems. In addition to general weakness and fatigue, individuals with anemia might experience breathlessness during exertion, decreased concentration, and in severe cases, symptoms like fainting, chest pain, or heart attack.
Women during their childbearing years can experience symptoms like breathlessness on exertion, giddiness, and pallor of the skin, sometimes with ankle edema. Conditions like sickle cell anemia reduce the life span of red blood cells (RBCs) and cause physical exertion, weakness, shortness of breath, and possibly heart murmurs due to excessive hemolysis. Anemia itself can be caused by various factors, including blood loss, genetic disorders like sickle cell disease, or nutritional deficiencies such as iron, folate, or vitamin B12 deficiency.