Many factors can cause anemia in HIV-infected people. HIV infection 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. My kids don't want to hear 'I don't feel good. You were tired yesterday.
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. Anemia and fatigue are especially difficult for women who have small children to take care of. 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.