Meeting the nutritional and mineral needs is very important for maintaining health and maintaining body functions as they should.
What is Iron Deficiency Anemia?
Iron deficiency, which is the most common mineral deficiency; It is a health problem that occurs in cases such as inadequate and unbalanced nutrition, insufficient intake of iron mineral into the body as a result of the application of special diets, or the inability to absorb or lose the iron taken with food due to some diseases in the body.
Iron deficiency, one of the most common health problems in the world, causes very important health problems, especially anemia. For this reason, it is very important to prevent this situation with the help of appropriate mineral support and treatment applications in individuals with iron deficiency.
Iron deficiency is the most common type of anemia in the world. Iron deficiency anemia, also known as anemia among the people, develops due to the deficiency of iron in the structure of the protein called hemoglobin, which gives blood its red color. Hemoglobin in the blood is responsible for transporting the oxygen in the lungs to the tissues along with the blood. For this reason, individuals with iron deficiency anemia experience problems such as getting tired quickly and shortness of breath. In addition to insufficient intake of iron, iron deficiency anemia may occur if there is blood loss due to any reason from the body or if it is not sufficiently absorbed from the digestive tract. Iron deficiency, which is seen in both sexes and individuals of all ages, is observed much more frequently in women than in men. Looking at the statistical data revealed in scientific research, it has been observed that one out of every three women and one out of every five men have iron deficiency anemia.
Iron deficiency can sometimes be a disease on its own. But in some cases, it can also occur as a symptom of digestive system diseases, cancers or different types of diseases. For this reason, in patients with iron deficiency anemia, this possibility should be taken into account and necessary research should be carried out for related diseases.
What are the Symptoms of Iron Deficiency Anemia?
Iron deficiency anemia Symptoms may vary from patient to patient and depending on the severity of the disease. Individuals with mild anemia may not feel any symptoms. In these people, the problem of anemia is usually detected incidentally in routine health screenings or blood tests requested for a different reason.
However, as the severity of anemia increases, some symptoms begin to appear in patients. Among the symptoms of iron deficiency anemia, the most common ones can be listed as follows:
- Constant feeling of tiredness, exhaustion and weakness
- Feeling shortness of breath even with light exercises
- Pale skin color
- Hair loss
- Nail disorders
- Sleep disorders
- Waking up tired in the morning
- Headache
- Ringing and humming in the ears
- Cracked lips and sores around the mouth
- Difficulty concentrating
- Numbness and chills in the hands and feet
- Irritability
What are the Causes of Iron Deficiency Anemia?
It is a condition that occurs due to iron deficiency. Anemia may also occur due to different vitamin deficiencies such as vitamin B12, folic acid, or hematological diseases. The most common cause of anemia due to iron deficiency is nutritional problems.
Inadequate consumption of foods such as meat and eggs with high iron content, vegetarian and vegan diets that do not contain animal foods can be counted among the main causes of iron deficiency anemia. At the same time, diseases related to the digestive system can lead to anemia by preventing the absorption of iron taken with food. Inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are also used in the gastrointestinal tract. Iron loss may occur with bleeding.
Apart from these, some of the factors that cause iron deficiency anemia are:
- Dietary regime with high levels of ready-to-eat foods,
- Excessive consumption of unhealthy foods such as sausage and salami ,
- Excessive consumption of meat,
- Excessive consumption of foods that reduce iron absorption such as tea and coffee,
- Inability to adequately meet the increased need for iron during pregnancy and lactation,
- The presence of gynecological diseases in women,
- The use of spirals as a birth control method,
- Kidney failure and dialysis,
- Cancers and some other chronic diseases.
How to Diagnose Iron Deficiency Anemia?
Diagnosis of iron deficiency can be made with a blood test called complete blood count. The presence of iron deficiency anemia can be determined by looking at values such as hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum iron amount, iron binding capacity, transferrin saturation and ferritin from the data obtained as a result of the examination made with the blood sample taken from the arm. Depending on the severity of the mineral deficiency in patients with iron deficiency anemia, some or all of these values are found to be low.
In patients diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia, the underlying problems should be identified before starting treatment. Although dietary problems are the most common cause of iron deficiency, gastrointestinal bleeding is also an important factor causing iron deficiency. The blood lost in this way is excreted in the form of occult blood in the stool and may be difficult to notice by the patient. For this reason, colonoscopy can be performed to investigate diseases that may cause bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, and a stool test can be requested to see if there is occult blood in the stool.
Different diagnostic tests such as urine test and medical imaging tests may be considered necessary if different diseases are suspected by the physician. After all these applications, the factors causing iron deficiency anemia are determined and treatment applications are started. In order to determine the method to be applied, it is necessary to identify the problems that cause anemia first. Although oral iron supplements are generally recommended for every patient diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia, these supplements are not sufficient to prevent anemia if there is loss of iron or insufficient absorption due to gastrointestinal system diseases or different health problems.
Therefore, in addition to iron supplementation, a separate treatment plan should be made against such diseases. If iron deficiency anemia is caused by unhealthy, unbalanced and malnutrition, patients should be referred to a dietitian in addition to iron supplements and they should be provided with medical nutrition therapy. The daily iron requirement should be fully met with a nutrition program planned specifically for the patient by the dietitian. In addition, information should be given about foods with high iron content. Foods such as tea and coffee directly reduce iron absorption. Individuals with anemia should not consume these foods as much as possible, and be careful not to take them 45 minutes before or after meals when they do.
Since calcium mineral competes with iron during its absorption from the intestines, foods such as milk and yogurt with high calcium content should not be consumed at the same time as meat, eggs, dried legumes, which are important iron sources. Iron absorption increases in an acidic environment. Iron-rich foods such as red and white meat, fish, eggs, and legumes, as well as vitamin C sources such as salads with plenty of lemon, will be consumed more than the iron in the foods.
Individuals on a vegetarian and vegan diet, on the other hand, should make sure that they consume enough dark green leafy vegetables such as legumes, oil seeds, and spinach, which are rich in iron minerals, in addition to iron supplements. If you also have iron deficiency anemia, you can apply to health institutions to have your necessary check-ups and to find out if you have anemia or a different disease by having these tests if you have not had your routine blood tests in the last three months. Streamline your examinations and tests By having it done, you can detect your diseases at an early stage and continue your life in a healthy way.
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