Anemic people at higher risk for bedsores You will need to find out if you or your loved one is anemic. The people who are at risk of getting bedsores are sick, thin, and frail, and many of them have just had surgery. Chances are that many of them will have some level of anemia. Anemia is a chronic condition of having too few red blood cells. The red blood cells are the vehicles by which oxygen and nutrients get to all the cells in the body. The injured area cannot heal without these basic ingredients. If the doctor tells you that there is anemia, you need to ask what is going to be done about it. There are several different types of anemia. Medical science identifies two of them as to cause: iron deficiency and blood loss. In both of these cases, the solution is not complicated. For iron deficiency, iron supplements should be helpful, and for blood loss, the usual treatment is infusion of packed red blood cells (concentrated blood). See the chapter containing information on blood transfusions.