What is iron deficiency anemia?

December 2, 2019

Iron deficiency anemia is a common type of anemia — a condition which occurs when you have a decreased level of RBCs. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the body’s tissues. Without enough iron, your body can’t produce enough of a substance in red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen (hemoglobin). So you will have decreased hemoglobin and as a result, iron deficiency anemia may leave you tired, weak, irritable and with shortness of breath.

Doctors usually correct iron deficiency anemia with iron supplementation in addition to changes in diet. Irofix is considered as one of the best iron supplements which contains microencapsulated iron, a micronized source of iron that has less negative and adverse effects of other Iron sources.

Symptoms

While the condition can be so mild, many people don’t know they have iron deficiency anemia and it goes unnoticed for years without ever knowing the cause of some symptoms.

The symptoms and signs of moderate to severe iron deficiency anemia may include:

Causes

If your diet is low in iron, your body cannot absorb iron, you experience heavy bleeding,or you are pregnant, iron deficiency anemia will eventually happens as your body doesn’t have enough iron to produce hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the part of red blood cells that gives blood its red color and enables the red blood cells to carry oxygenated blood throughout your body.

  • A lack of iron in your diet. Your body regularly gets iron from the foods. Consuming too little iron over time, may cause iron deficiency in the body. There are two forms of dietary iron including hem and non-hem. Hem iron is derived from hemoglobin. It comes from animal proteins that originally contained hemoglobin, such as red meats, fish, and poultry (meat, poultry, and seafood contain both hem and non-hem iron). Your body absorbs the most iron from hem sources. Most non-hem iron is found in plant-based sources like grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds.
  • Blood loss.Red blood cells contain iron. So if you lose blood, you lose some iron. Individuals with heavy periods are at risk of iron deficiency anemia because they lose blood during menstruation. Chronic blood loss within the body such as from a peptic ulcer, a hiatal hernia, a colon polyp or colorectal cancer and rapid blood loss due to an injury, surgery, childbirth, or a ruptured blood vessel— can cause iron deficiency anemia.
  • An inability to absorb iron. Iron from the food you eat daily is absorbed into your bloodstream in your small intestine. Some disorders such as celiac disease may make it harder for your intestines to absorb iron form digested food. If part of your small intestine has been bypassed or removed surgically, or if you consume some medicines to decrease stomach acid, all may affect your ability to absorb iron and other nutrients.
  • Pregnancy.During pregnancy, you need extra iron because your body produces more blood to support the growth of your baby. If you’re not receiving enough iron form your nutrients or supplements, your body might not be able to produce the amount of red blood cells it needs to make this additional blood and you can become deficient.

Prevention

  • Iron-rich foods can reduce your risk of iron deficiency anemia.
  • Foods rich in iron include:
  • Red meat, pork and poultry
  • Seafood
  • Beans
  • Dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach
  • Dried fruit, such as raisins and apricots
  • Iron-fortified cereals, breads and pastas
  • Peas

 

Choose foods containing vitamin C to enhance iron absorption

You can enhance your body’s absorption of iron by drinking citrus juice or having other foods rich in vitamin C at the same time that you eat high-iron foods. Vitamin C in citrus juices, oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, kiwi, leafy greens and melons, helps your body to better absorb dietary iron.

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