To diagnose anemia, your doctor will likely ask you about your medical history, perform a physical exam, and order blood tests.

You can help by providing detailed answers about your symptoms, family medical history, diet, medications you take, alcohol intake, and ethnic background. Your doctor will look for symptoms of anemia and other physical clues that might point to a cause.

There are basically three different causes of anemia: blood loss; decreased or faulty red blood cell production; or destruction of red blood cells.

Blood tests will not only confirm the diagnosis of anemia, but also help point to the underlying condition. Tests might include:

• Complete blood count (CBC), which determines the number, size, volume, and hemoglobin content of red blood cells
  
• Blood iron level and your serum ferritin level, the best indicators of your body's total iron stores
  
• Levels of vitamin B12 and folate, vitamins necessary for red blood cell production
  
• Special blood tests to detect rare causes of anemia, such as an immune attack on your red blood cells, red blood cell fragility, and defects of enzymes, hemoglobin, and clotting
  
• Reticulocyte count, bilirubin, and other blood and urine tests to determine if you have a hemolytic anemia, where your red blood cells have a shortened life span.

Only in rare cases will a doctor need to remove a sample of bone marrow to determine the cause of your anemia.

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