Anaemia is a condition in which the blood does not have enough healthy red blood cells. There are different types of anaemia such as iron deficiency anaemia, aplastic anaemia, sickle cell anaemia, haemolytic anaemia, folate (B12) deficiency anaemia, pernicious anaemia, and megaloblastic anaemia and each one has a different cause.
Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common type of anaemia in women. It occurs when your body lacks iron, which is necessary to produce haemoglobin. When there are inadequate levels of iron in your blood, the rest of your body cannot get the essential amount of oxygen. Hence, iron deficiency anaemia may cause you to feel exhausted and breathless.
What causes iron deficiency anaemia?
Iron deficiency anaemia occurs due to a lack of enough iron in your body to make haemoglobin. Several factors can cause a lack of iron in your body. The most common causes include:
• low iron in your diet
• heavy monthly periods
• history of blood loss
• gastric diseases which cause the inability to absorb iron into the body
• pregnancy
• use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• history of stomach ulcers and gastrointestinal cancer
• chronic kidney disease
• frequent blood donations
How do you know if you have iron deficiency anaemia ?
The signs and symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia may differ in people. The severity of symptoms increases as the rate of deficiency increases. Iron deficiency anaemia signs and symptoms include:
• extreme tiredness
• difficulty in swallowing
• weakness
• diarrhoea
• pale skin
• dizziness
• shortness of breath
• increased heart rate
• chest pain
• headache
• brittle nails
• oral ulcers or soreness of tongue
• unusual cravings to eat items with no nutritional value
• cold hands and feet
• loss of appetite
• bleeding gums
What foods contain iron?
By consuming foods that are rich in iron, you can lower your risk of developing iron deficiency anaemia.
Good animal sources include red meat (beef, lamb, and pork). The amount of iron is higher in red beef (liver, kidney,), poultry, eggs, and fish (salmon, sardines, and tuna).
Vegetables that are rich in iron include leafy vegetables that are dark green like spinach, dried fruit including apricots and raisins, cereals, bread, and kinds of pasta with added iron, and peas.
By consuming citrus fruits or juice or other foods high in vitamin C at the same time as high-iron diets, you can improve your body's ability to absorb iron. Orange juice and other citrus drinks include vitamin C, which improves your body's absorption of dietary iron. Added sources of vitamin C include leafy greens, broccoli, grapefruit, kiwi, melons, oranges, peppers, strawberries, tangerines, and tomatoes.
How to diagnose iron-deficiency anaemia?
Iron-deficiency anaemia can be diagnosed by measuring the following parameters in a given blood sample.
- Haemoglobin: Anaemia is indicated by haemoglobin levels below normal. For men, the normal haemoglobin range is 13.2 to 16.6 grams of haemoglobin per decilitre of blood (g/dL), and for women, 11.6 to 15 g/dL.
- The size and colour of red blood cells: In iron deficiency anaemia, the size and colour of red blood cells are often smaller and lighter (microcytic anaemia).
- Haematocrit: This is the proportion of red blood cells in your blood that make up the entire volume. For adult women, normal levels are typically between 35.5 and 44.9 percent, and for adult men, between 38.3 and 48.6 percent. These values may fluctuate based on your age.
There are other tests that can indicate the iron levels in the body, these include:
- Serum iron test: Used to measure the levels of free iron present in the blood.
- Transferrin test: Used to measure the levels of transferrin present in the blood; transferrin is a protein that transports iron throughout the body.
- Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC): Used to measure how well iron attaches to transferrin and other proteins in the blood. It is another way to measure how well the body transports iron.
- Ferritin blood test: A low amount of ferritin typically denotes a low level of stored iron. This protein aids in the storage of iron in your body, essential for making healthy red blood cells.
- Transferrin saturation: Used to find the percentage of transferrin that is saturated with iron.
Other names for iron tests are Fe tests, iron indices. Most or all of these tests are ordered at the same time.
How to treat iron- deficiency anaemia
Treatment of iron-deficiency anaemia depends on its underlying cause. It usually starts with the consumption of iron supplements and modifying your diet to improve your iron levels.
Treating the underlying cause
In order to prevent further episodes of anaemia, the underlying cause of your condition should be treated. For instance, your doctor may prescribe a different medication to help reduce the risk of stomach bleeding if non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs) are causing bleeding in your stomach. If anaemia is due to heavy bleeding (periods), your doctor may prescribe medications to make the periods lighter.
Iron-supplements
To replenish the deficient iron in your body, an iron supplement may be prescribed. Among the many forms of supplemental iron, the ferrous sulphate form is most common and is taken as a pill, typically twice daily.
Dietary advice
If the cause of your iron-deficiency anaemia is a diet low in iron, modifying your diet to include foods high in iron may help you.
What can happen if iron-deficiency anaemia goes untreated?
Milder forms of iron deficiency anaemia don’t cause major problems. Severe forms of deficiency can result in various health complications.
- When you are anaemic, your blood doesn't carry as much oxygen, so your heart has to pump more blood to make up for it. This can lead to an enlarged heart or heart failure.
- Iron deficiency anaemia may affect your immune system, the body's natural defence mechanism. This makes you more susceptible to infections.
- Severe iron deficiency anaemia in pregnant women has been associated with preterm births and low birth weight new-borns. Pregnant women who receive iron supplements as part of their prenatal care, however, can avoid these complications.
- Severe iron deficiency in children and new-borns can cause anaemia and retarded growth.
Although, the manifestations of iron-deficiency may be mild or not troublesome in early stages, but if left untreated, can cause long-term complications. Hence, iron studies should be done regularly in people at risk of iron deficiency so that timely intervention can be provided.
