Anemia May Be Caused by Leaky Gut Syndrome
What is Anemia?
Anemia, commonly known as “Anemia”, is defined as a decrease in the ratio of erythrocytes/red blood cells, which are components of blood, or a decrease in the amount of “Hemoglobulin”, which is the functional unit in erythrocytes.
What is Blood?
BLOOD is a fluid, red liquid containing many components that transports nutrients, medicines and oxygen that enter our body primarily through the digestive and respiratory systems to the areas where they are needed through the arterial network system, and transports waste products formed in the tissues to the area where they will be eliminated through the venous network system.
The basic shaped elements that make up the blood are; Red blood cells (erythrocytes), White blood cells (leukocytes) and Thrombocytes (platelets).
Red blood cells ensure that oxygen is carried from the lungs to the tissues and that carbon dioxide formed in the tissues is removed through the lungs.
White blood cells form our body’s defense system.
Platelets help stop bleeding.
Why Does Anemia Occur?
We can group the causes of anemia under three headings:
- Deficiencies of nutrients required for red blood cell production (Iron, Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, etc.)
- Short lifespan of red blood cells due to structural disorders (mostly genetic diseases, FMF, etc.)
- Anemias due to losses caused by bleeding.
The average lifespan of red blood cells is 120 days. Cells with structural disorders have a shorter lifespan.
Red blood cells are produced mainly in the bone marrow, spleen and liver. Red blood cells that have reached the end of their lifespan are removed from the system by the spleen.
The most effective treatable part of anemia disease is anemias that develop due to nutritional deficiencies. In anemias due to nutritional deficiencies, there are problems related to inadequate intake of substances necessary for hemoglobin production such as Iron, Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 or absorption from the intestines. If there is no deficiency in absorption or substances necessary for absorption, ANEMIA can be easily and permanently treated by supplementing the missing part. However, the treatment of ANEMIAs caused by the deficiency of substances necessary for absorption and absorption is not that easy. Anemias in this group are usually long-term and in other words CHRONIC ANEMIAs and their treatment is more difficult.
Why Is Anemia Important? What Happens If It Is Not Treated?
The only means of transporting OXYGEN, which all tissues and organs in our body need continuously, from the lungs to the tissues, and of transporting CARBON DIOXIDE, which is a waste product formed in the tissues, from the tissues to the lungs to be excreted, are RED CELLS and their functional unit, HEMOGLOBULIN.
If we have anemia, since insufficient oxygen will reach all the tissues in our body and the resulting waste product, carbon dioxide, will not be removed, this will cause deficiencies and disorders in the functions of the tissues and organs. This will affect all body functions. Due to the lack of oxygen in the body due to anemia, our HEART will try to compensate for the deficit by working harder. Accordingly, ANEMIA first and foremost increases the load on our HEART, causing tachycardia (increased pulse), cardiomegaly (enlargement of the heart) and many related heart diseases.
Anemia triggers many diseases in children, including growth and developmental delays, weakness of brain functions, and learning difficulties.
How is Anemia Related to Leaky Gut Syndrome?
Some definitions are needed to understand the relationship between anemia and Leaky Gut Syndrome.
What is Leaky Gut Syndrome (GBS)?
One of the most basic features of our intestines is that they have a selectively permeable feature. For many reasons, the selectively permeable feature of our intestines can be temporarily or permanently impaired. The things that the absorption surface of our intestines allows are absorbed from the intestines and transported to the bloodstream and thus to the organs and tissues. With the impairment of the selectively permeable feature of our intestines, intestinal contents that normally cannot pass from the intestines to the bloodstream begin to pass into the bloodstream (incompletely digested products, toxins, microbes, macromolecules, etc.). The general name given to all the diseases that create this picture is Leaky Gut Syndrome.
What are the diseases covered under the title of Leaky Gut Syndrome?
The main diseases examined under the title of Leaky Gut Syndrome are Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s Disease, Non-Specific Colitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Celiac Disease, Lactose Intolerance, Celiac-Like Disease, Lactose Intolerance-Like Disease, Chronic Diarrhea, etc.
How is the Selective Permeability of the Intestines Impaired in Diseases Under the Title of GBS?
In all the diseases listed above and evaluated under the heading of GBS, permeability impairment occurs as a result of intestinal absorption surface damage.
The inner surface of our intestines has a curved ( villi and microvilli ) structure, and the surface facing the intestinal lumen is covered with a single-layered, inner skin called MUCOSA. All the cells that make up the mucosa are very tightly connected to each other. Digested foods pass through the cells on this absorption surface and reach the bloodstream. A protein called ZONULIN ensures the tight connection of these cells to each other. There is a gel-like secretion called MUCOSA, which is secreted from some special cell groups called GOBLET cells in the mucosa layer throughout the digestive system from the mouth to the anus, and covers the entire MUCOSA layer like a film layer, preventing direct contact between the intestinal content and the mucosa. Thanks to the MUCOSA, direct contact between the digestive secretions, foods, drugs, microbes and toxins in the intestine is PREVENTED. The most important component in the formation and maintenance of mucus is the DIGESTIVE SYSTEM FLORA, which consists of thousands of varieties with special functions for each region.
What is Flora?
We live with single-celled microorganisms, mostly bacteria, viruses and yeasts, in thousands of varieties, in trillions, that live with us in certain parts of our body (skin, genital area, digestive system, upper respiratory tract etc.), do not harm us, help us perform our vital functions (digestion, combating microbial attack, synthesis, humidity, acid balance, secretion, neural transmission etc.). The general name of all of these is FLORA.
What is the Digestive System Flora?
Throughout the entire digestive system, from mouth to anus, we live with thousands of single-celled beneficial microbes that are specific to each area and do not live in any other area. All of these are called digestive system flora . Our flora is constantly renewed and replaced by new ones, and those that have completed their lifespan are naturally excreted as STOOL (feces). Approximately 60-70% of the stool volume consists of dead and living flora waste.
Why is Digestive System Flora Important?
Thanks to the digestive system flora, defense, digestion, synthesis, humidity and regional acidity are provided against harmful microbial attacks in the area where they settle and live. The more biodiversity of our flora, the higher the quality of digestive system functions. If the relevant regional flora in the digestive system is disrupted for any reason or its biodiversity decreases, that area is invaded by PATHOGENIC MICROBES.
In addition, the regional flora must have sufficient biodiversity for the formation and maintenance of mucus. Damage to the flora affects mucus formation, causing the protective layer on the mucosa to weaken or disappear completely. As a result, the digestive system content will come into direct contact with the mucosa, causing damage to the mucosa and, accordingly, the selective permeability of the intestines will decrease or disappear completely.
How Does Leaky Gut Syndrome Cause Anemia?
For whatever reason, digestive system flora damage and accompanying GBS cases cause digestion and absorption problems. Accordingly, iron, folic acid and Vit B12 deficiency, which are necessary for hemoglobulin production, develop and ANEMIA occurs due to their deficiency. In addition, in some GBS cases, anemia occurs as a result of chronic bleeding due to ulcers in the intestine (ulcerative colitis etc.). It is not possible to create a healthy absorption surface in GBS without repairing the damage to the flora. Since sufficient enzymatic and chemical digestion will not occur without providing healthy and biodiverse flora, there will be difficulty in the transfer of the substances necessary for HEMOGLOBULIN production into the bloodstream.
What Findings Indicate Leaky Gut Syndrome?
- Food Allergy
- Abdominal bloating
- Excessive gas
- Appearance of mucus and blood in the stool
- Constant abdominal pain
- Intestinal discomfort
- Kronik ishal
- Chronic constipation
- Chronic fatigue
- Joint pain and swelling
- Fibromyalgia
- Persistent dermatitis
- Untimely and resistant acne
- Depression
- Mood disorder
- Manic attacks
- Vitiligo (areas of skin lacking pigment)
- Infertility
- Breast cysts
- Psoriasis
- Stagnation of education in autistic people
- Sudden declines in educational achievement
- Hasimato Troiditi
- All autoimmune diseases
- Recurrent oral sores
- Bad breath
Along with the above findings, it is necessary to evaluate in terms of ”Leaky Gut Syndrome” in cases of treatment-resistant ANAEMIA. Because it is not possible to correct ANAEMIA cases accompanying GBS cases without treating GBS.
In all GBS cases, there is damage to the digestive system flora. Palliative and chronic drug use in GBS treatment without correcting the digestive system flora damage will only provide temporary relief but will not correct the underlying FLORA DAMAGE.
Therefore, the only and permanent treatment for GBS cases is possible only with FLORA TRANSPLANTATION.
What is Flora Transplantation?
It is the process of obtaining flora samples from 30-45 different anatomical areas endoscopically and colonoscopically under general anesthesia from a DONOR candidate with high biodiversity, who has been approved by examination and necessary laboratory analyses, and then undergoing a series of procedures, and then cultivating the flora samples endoscopically and colonoscopically in the equivalent areas of the patient, again under general anesthesia.
In cases of Leaky Gut Syndrome, which develops due to digestive system flora damage, it is not possible to treat GBS without Flora Transplantation . In the vast majority of GBS cases, there is accompanying ANAEMIA. It is impossible to treat ANAEMIA without treating GBS.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Murat KANLIÖZ
General Surgery Specialist