Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia in the world. The term "anemia", colloquially referred to as anemia, generally refers to a condition in which the number of erythrocytes, that is, red blood cells, in the blood is lower than normal. Red blood cells carry oxygen to our body and take carbon dioxide to the lungs to be excreted. Since there is not enough iron in iron deficiency anemia, our body cannot produce enough of the substance (hemoglobin) that carries oxygen in red blood cells. As a result, iron deficiency anemia can cause fatigue and shortness of breath.
Symptoms
Extreme fatigue
Weakness
Loss of appetite
Pale skin and mucous membranes
Easy breaking of nails
Coldness in hands and feet
Inflammation or pain in the tongue
Headache, dizziness
Chest pain, palpitations or shortness of breath
Restless legs syndrome
Causes
Blood loss – Women of childbearing age are at risk for iron deficiency anemia because they lose blood during menstruation. Apart from this, diseases that cause chronic blood loss, such as peptic ulcer, colon polyp or colorectal cancer, can cause iron deficiency anemia.
Dietary iron deficiency - Our body gets iron from the foods we eat regularly. If we consume too little iron, we may become deficient in iron over time. Examples of iron-rich foods include meat, eggs, green leafy vegetables, and iron-fortified foods.
Iron malabsorption - The iron we get from food passes into the bloodstream in the small intestines. Some medications, operations such as gastric sleeve/metabolic surgery, and some diseases such as celiac disease cause malabsorption in the intestines, preventing iron from passing into the blood, and as a result, iron deficiency anemia develops.
Pregnancy and lactation period - iron deficiency anemia occurs in many pregnant women without iron supplementation, since iron stores during pregnancy meet the increasing blood volume and are also a source of hemoglobin for the growing fetus.
Complications
Mild iron deficiency a Humidity does not usually cause complications. However, if left untreated, anemia can become severe and lead to significant health problems, including:
Heart problems - Iron deficiency anemia can lead to a fast and irregular heartbeat. Since there is anemia, our heart pumps more blood to compensate for the lack of oxygen carried in the blood, which can lead to an enlarged heart and heart failure.
Problems during pregnancy- Severe iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women, premature births and low birth weight is associated with babies. However, this condition can be prevented in pregnant women who take iron supplements as part of their prenatal check-ups.
Severe iron deficiency in infants and children can cause delayed growth and development. Additionally, iron deficiency anemia is associated with increased susceptibility to infections.
Prevention
Iron deficiency anemia by eating iron-rich foods The risk can be reduced.
Foods rich in iron:
Red meat and poultry
Seafood
Legumes
Dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach
Dried fruits, such as raisins and apricots
Iron-enriched cereals, breads and pasta
Also To increase iron absorption, foods rich in vitamin C such as broccoli, grapefruit, orange, kiwi, leafy greens, melon, pepper, strawberry and tomato should also be consumed.
Diagnosis
For the diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia, history and physical examination, as well as tests such as complete blood count, erythrocyte indices, serum iron, serum iron binding capacity, serum ferritin level and peripheral blood smear can be used.
If iron deficiency anemia is detected, especially in men and post-menopausal women, it should be investigated for diseases that may cause chronic blood loss.
Treatment
Oral iron treatment
Oral iron treatment should be preferred to intravenous iron treatment because it is safer and cheaper. If appropriate iron doses are given and the underlying cause is corrected, anemia will resolve within 2-4 months. Hemoglobin After normalization, iron treatment should be continued for another 3 months to replenish iron stores.
Oral iron preparations may cause nausea, vomiting, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea or dark stools. To reduce these side effects, practices include starting the iron preparation with a low dose and gradually increasing the dose over 4-5 days; It is given in divided doses or at the lowest dose or with food. The absorption of iron in medications increases when taken on an empty stomach (1.5-2 hours after a meal). While acidic fruit juices or vitamin C increase absorption, other multivitamins, calcium and antacids reduce absorption.
Parenteral (intramuscular or intravenous) iron therapy
Parenteral iron therapy can be given to patients with poor compliance with oral iron therapy and severe anemia. Application can be done intramuscularly (application may be painful) or intravenously. The risk of allergic side effects is the same for both applications. In intravenous administration, a single or two doses can often be sufficient.
Apart from this, parenteral iron treatment may be recommended in some cases:
• Severe anemia
• Blood loss is severe. continuing
• Exacerbation of gastrointestinal disease (ulcerative colitis)
• Iron malabsorption
• Hemodialysis patients
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