Iron deficiency anemia
Anemia is a low red blood cell count, and iron deficiency is the presence of too little iron in the body. Iron is found in red blood cells.
The body needs iron to make hemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body.
When there is not enough iron in the body to produce hemoglobin, the body produces too few red blood cells. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia.
You only need a little iron in your daily diet. This is because the body reuses iron from old red blood cells to produce new red blood cells. However, bleeding causes the body to lose iron. Bleeding is the most common cause of low iron and iron deficiency anemia. The most common causes of bleeding vary by gender and age. In younger women, the cause is heavy periods. In older men and women, the cause is bleeding from the digestive system (stomach or intestines), and in older women, it is bleeding from the uterus. .
During periods of growth, such as pregnancy and early childhood, the body needs more iron. To avoid iron deficiency during these times, you need to eat foods rich in iron, such as meat, chicken, oysters, spinach, liver and other organ meats, legumes, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, and broccoli.
Symptoms usually get worse little by little and include feeling weak and tired, and the patient may appear pale with very low iron. Symptoms of pica (craving for a substance that is not food, such as snow, paint, or chalk) may also appear.
Blood tests are done to check the low red blood cell count and hemoglobin level and to measure the patient's iron levels.
Treat anemia first by treating any cause such as bleeding, making sure your diet contains enough iron-rich foods, and prescribing iron (such as pills for adults and liquids for children).
Doctors rarely give iron intravenously.
Iron anemia treatment usually takes 3 to 6 weeks to work, however, you will usually continue to take iron for 6 months to make up for all the iron lost.
Iron pills or liquids work best if you take them in the morning before eating with orange juice or a vitamin C pill.
Doctors will do blood tests a month after starting treatment to make sure the body is getting enough iron.
