Assessment and Diagnosis of Anemia

Anemia is the most common hematologic problem and occurs across the human lifespan\nin otherwise healthy as well as critically ill patients. This paper addresses the clinical and laboratory assessments of patients presenting with anemia, and outlines the differential diagnoses of the cause of anemia. An appendix presents a review of anemia in cancer patients, the prevalence of fatigue in cancer-related anemia, and the impact of fatigue on the quality of life. Finally, the advance of erythropoietin treatment for chronic anemia is evaluated, along with its potential for improvement of the quality of life