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Slide 6 of 25

Signs and symptoms of anemia vary with the rapidity of onset with underlying disease of the cardiovascular system. Thus, rapid blood loss, especially if plasma volume decreases rapidly, or brisk hemolysis may result in cardiovascular reaction, including tachycardia, postural hypotension, vasoconstriction in skin and extremities, dyspnea on exertion, and faintness. Slow developing anemias, such as those resulting from nutritional deficiency, permit gradual expansion of the plasma volume so that increase cardiac output gradually compensates. So the subject may remain asymptomatic for lon time or noting only slight exertional dyspnea, pollor of skin and mucous membranes, jaundice, cheilosis, beffy red, smooth tongue and koilonychia are signs that accompany more advanced anemias of different types.