The word 'fatigue' just doesn't describe it. Many factors can cause anemia in HIV-infected people. HIV itself can cause anemia. In addition, antiretrovirals , chemotherapy, and many other drugs used to treat people with HIV infection can reduce the number of red blood cells in the body. Some of the drugs used to treat NHL are among those that can cause anemia.
Severe anemia can be life-threatening.
But even mild to moderate anemia can rob a person of energy and make it hard to enjoy life. There are two ways to treat anemia. Severe anemia is usually treated with blood transfusion. Since transfusion always carries the risk of infection or reactions, patients generally are not transfused unless their anemia is serious. I've had 16 blood transfusions.