Iron-deficient Anemia Blog

What is anemia?

Anemia is when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin to carry oxygen to your tissues. Certain symptoms like fatigue, happen when the organs do not get enough of what they need. There are many different forms of anemia, such as the most common type of anemia -- iron-deficiency anemia.

Anemia can happen when:

 
     * Your body does not make enough blood
     * Bleeding causes you to lose more red blood cells than they are made
     * When your body destroys red blood cells

What causes iron-deficient anemia?
This type of anemia is the most common type. Iron-deficiency happens when your body lacks iron, causing it to be unable to produce enough hemoglobin for the body. Iron-deficiency anemia happens if:

You lose more blood cells and iron than your body can replace

Your body does not do a good job of absorbing iron

Your body is able to absorb iron, but you are not eating enough foods with iron in them

Your body needs more iron than normal (such as if you are pregnant or breastfeeding)

Symptoms

If your anemia is mild, there may be no symptoms.  Most of the time, symptoms are mild at first and develop slowly. Symptoms may include:

• Feeling grumpy
• Feeling weak or tired more often than usual, or with exercise
• Headaches
• Problems concentrating or thinking

As the anemia gets worse, symptoms may include:

• Blue color to the whites of the eyes
• Brittle nails
• Light-headedness when you stand up
• Pale skin color
• Shortness of breath
• Sore tongue

Symptoms of the conditions that cause iron deficiency anemia include:

• Dark, tar-colored stools or blood
• Heavy menstrual bleeding (women)
• Pain in the upper belly (from ulcers)
• Weight loss (in people with cancer)

To diagnose anemia, your doctor may either give a blood test.

Treatment

You can take iron-supplements or eat iron-rich foods to treat your anemia. Some iron-rich food include:

Chicken and turkey

Dried lentils, peas, and beans

Fish

Meats (liver is the highest source)

Peanut butter

Soybeans

Whole-grain bread

Sources:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000584.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/iron-deficiency-anemia/DS00323