Chronic Anemia Differential Diagnoses
- Author: Christopher D Braden, DO; Chief Editor: Barry E Brenner, MD, PhD, FACEP more...
Diagnostic Considerations
Be vigilant for acute blood loss while attributing low Hgb and hematocrit values to a chronic state.
Consider anemia as an etiologic factor in patients who present with dyspnea, headache, angina, or altered mental status.
Consider anemia as a contributing factor to jaundice (hemolytic anemia) while focusing on other conditions, such as acute hepatitis, that can present with jaundice.
Be vigilant for the presence of pancytopenia.
Conditions to consider in the differential diagnosis of anemia, along with those in the next section, include the following:
- Hemophilia, type A
- Hemophilia, type B
- Hemorrhoids
- Henoch-Sch ö nlein purpura
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Malaria
- Methemoglobinemia
- Mononucleosis
- Mycoplasma pneumonia
- Cushing syndrome
- Alcohol and substance abuse
- Coccidioidomycosis
- Dengue fever
- Disseminated intravascular coagulation
- Dysfunctional uterine bleeding
- Dysmenorrhea
- Sarcoidosis
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
Differential Diagnoses
- Adrenal Insufficiency and Adrenal Crisis
- Anal Fistulas and Fissures
- Anemia, Sickle Cell
- Arthritis, Rheumatoid
- Dialysis Complications of Chronic Renal Failure
- Diverticular Disease
- Early Recognition and Rapid Testing of HIV in Emergency Medicine
- Hypothyroidism and Myxedema Coma
- Renal Failure, Acute
- Tuberculosis
[Guideline] American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Anemia in pregnancy. Jul 2008;[Full Text].
Zittermann A, Jungvogel A, Prokop S, Kuhn J, Dreier J, Fuchs U, et al. Vitamin D deficiency is an independent predictor of anemia in end-stage heart failure. Clin Res Cardiol. Apr 7 2011;[Medline].
Omar N, Salama K, Adolf S, El-Saeed GS, Abdel Ghaffar N, Ezzat N. Major risk of blood transfusion in hemolytic anemia patients. Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis. Apr 19 2011;[Medline].

