As you can imagine, not having enough red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body would come at a price. Let's look at some symptoms and consequences of anemia.

Possible symptoms of anemia include:

• Tiredness, weakness, or fatigue
• Headache
• Poor appetite
• Pale skin (also known as pallor)

Now these symptoms have consequences if left unchecked.

Some of the possible consequences of anemia are:

• Increased susceptibility to infections, especially respiratory infections
• Decreased work performance
• Difficulty learning or poor intellectual development
• Growth retardation, if prolonged
• For prenatal women – increased risk of prematurity or low birth weight infant, and even infant mortality

You can now see why this test is so important. Imagine helping just one person overcome this condition. I don't know about you, but that would make me feel pretty darn good and I think you will too.