Deficiency Iron

By: Vitamin Deficiency

Iron Deficiency Anemia

iron deficiency anaemia - foto: Medical Education and Research

The body needs iron to make hemoglobin. If there isn’t enough iron available, hemoglobin production is limited, which in turns affects the production of red blood cells. Iron deficiency anemia (IDA), often caused by insufficient iron intake, is the major cause of anemia in childhood.

Iron deficiency anemia doesn’t develop immediately. Instead, a person progresses through stages of iron deficiency, beginning with iron depletion, in which the amount of iron in the body is reduced while the iron in red blood cells remains constant. If  iron depletion isn’t corrected, will be progresses to iron deficiency, eventually leading to iron deficiency anemia.

Iron is a mineral needed by our bodies. Iron also helps our muscles store and use oxygen. Iron is a necessary mineral for body function and good health. Every red blood cell in the body contains iron in its hemoglobin, the pigment that carries oxygen to the tissues from the lungs.

Iron Deficiency Symptoms

Symptoms of iron deficiency are quite general and could also indicate other health problems or blood disorders. Therefore, if you have these symptoms you must talk to a doctor before taking any iron pills.

1. Feeling tired and weakness.
2. Pale skin on the lining of the eyes, the inner mouth, gums and the nails.
3. Rapid and forceful heart beat.
4. Low blood pressure with position change, from sitting to standing up.
5. Finger nails become thin, brittle and white. They may grow abnormally and get a spoon-shaped appearance.
6. Severe menstrual pain and bleeding.
7. Tongue may become sore, smooth, shiny and reddened.
8. Decreased appetite especially in children.
9. Headache
10. Frontal-Shortness of breath during exercise. (even during a simple exercise like walking)
11. Brittle hair.
12. Reduction in immunity and increased vulnerability to infection.
13. A strong desire to eat nonfoods such as ice, paint or dirt. A condition called pica.
14. Disturbed sleep.
15. Abdominal pain.

To diagnose iron deficiency anemia, CBC - complete blood test - is used. Other common lab tests are serum ferritin or serum iron, which examines the proteins involved in the storage and transport of iron through the body, stool occult blood test and TIBC - total iron binding capacity - These tests will determine whether a person has an iron deficiency and the degree of its severity.

A person suffering from deficiency iron can be cured by some relatively simple and effective treatments like taking iron supplements (tablets, capsules and injections) and increasing iron from food sources vitamin (liver, meat, beans, nuts, dried fruits, whole grains, fish, poultry, green leafy vegetables and enriched cereals). Once the disease and its causes are detected, it is not difficult to prevent it.