Iron deficiency anemia and conditions related to it
Red blood cells, which give our blood its color, are cells that carry oxygen to the farthest corners of the body through capillaries. It does this through the substance called hemoglobin inside it.
When anemia is mentioned, it is the decrease in the amount of this substance called hemoglobin that should be understood. Anemia is not a single disease. It is a common finding that occurs due to many different diseases. When this situation occurs, problems arise in meeting the body's oxygen needs. Weakness and fatigue occur, pallor appears. The body tries to send more blood to the tissues to compensate for the deficiency. Therefore, the heart has to pump more blood, tachycardia (increased heart rate) and palpitations occur.
The most common type of anemia in humans is iron deficiency anemia. It is usually seen in women. The most important reason for this is the blood caused by excessive menstruation and the resulting iron loss. Iron deficiency may also occur during pregnancy and growing children due to increased need. Iron deficiency in men most often occurs due to hidden bleeding in the gastrointestinal system. These bleedings that occur unconsciously; It may be due to diseases such as gastritis, ulcer, polyp and hemorrhoids. However, the most serious disease is colon cancer. Therefore, if an adult man has iron deficiency, he should be examined for colon cancer.
In iron deficiency, serum iron decreases, iron binding capacity increases and serum ferritin level, which is an indicator of bone marrow stores, decreases.
>In treatment, iron pills are given orally. Iron pills should be taken on an empty stomach or with meat. Vitamin C increases absorption. For this reason, drinking orange juice and taking vitamin C tablets with iron allows anemia to be cured more quickly. Since drinks such as milk and tea impair iron absorption, iron pills should be swallowed at least two hours after taking such foods, and no other food other than meat and orange juice should be consumed for at least one hour after taking the pill to allow iron absorption. Sometimes anemia may not improve despite iron treatment. There may be two main reasons for this: First, as blood loss continues, the iron given may not be sufficient. it doesn't. The second reason is the malabsorption of the given iron in the digestive system. If malabsorption is detected, iron treatment should be administered intravenously.
If there is no iron deficiency, one should not delay by giving iron unnecessarily. In this case, other diseases that cause anemia should be investigated.
Another common cause of anemia is Mediterranean anemia, that is, thalassemia. Beta thalassemia carrier status is not uncommon in our country and Cyprus. A detailed examination makes it easy to distinguish between iron deficiency and Mediterranean anemia carrier status. Since Mediterranean anemia carrier is a congenital disease, if there are blood levels from previous years, these should be reviewed. Low hemoglobin levels from years ago raise suspicion of being a carrier of Mediterranean anemia. Of course, we should not ignore patients with iron deficiency anemia that has recurred over the years and has not been fully treated. Another important point is that since it is a hereditary disease, the same situation applies to the parents or relatives of Mediterranean anemia carriers. These people should also be investigated. There are some tests we use to distinguish between iron deficiency and Mediterranean anemia carrier status:
In iron deficiency, since the iron stored in the bone marrow is very low, the level of ferritin, which is an indicator of this in the blood, is below normal limits. However, in Mediterranean anemia, bone marrow iron stores are not reduced and ferritin levels are within normal limits. Therefore, give these patients as much iron as you want and you will not be able to cure anemia. For a definitive diagnosis of Mediterranean anemia, it is necessary to use a method called "hemoglobin electrophoresis". Both of these tests can be done by simply taking a blood sample from the patient.
Carriers of Mediterranean anemia usually have mild anemia and this can be tolerated. In cases where anemia cannot be tolerated, blood transfusion should be performed. In these people, the bone marrow has to work harder because the red blood cells break down quickly. This increases the need for folic acid, a B vitamin. Although carriers of Mediterranean anemia can continue their lives without any risk to themselves, they do not want to have children. If they do, their spouses should also be investigated in this regard. If the spouse is also a carrier of Mediterranean anemia, there is a risk that the unborn child will be normal or a carrier as well as having real thalassemia
Anemia, which can sometimes be confused with iron deficiency in some chronic diseases that progress with inflammation such as rheumatic diseases, connective tissue disorders, brucellosis and tuberculosis. visible. In these people, serum iron is decreased but ferritin is very high. Anemia cannot be cured by giving iron. Treatment of anemia is possible by treating the underlying disease.
Read: 0
