▎ WuXi AppTec content team editor
In daily life, I often hear people say that they have "anemia". In fact, anemia is not a separate disease, but a clinical syndrome. Diseases of various systems can cause anemia, such as cancer, blood loss due to injury, internal bleeding and kidney disease.
Iron deficiency anemia, the most common type of anemia, occurs mainly in children and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
What are the symptoms of iron deficiency anemia? How can it be prevented? Today we will take a look at it together.
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1. What is iron deficiency anemia?
Iron deficiency anemia is a disease that occurs due to the body's lack of enough iron to produce a sufficient number of red blood cells.
The body needs iron to synthesize hemoglobin. In the body's blood, hemoglobin is responsible for transporting oxygen to various organs and parts of the body. When the body lacks iron, it cannot synthesize enough hemoglobin, and the amount of erythrocyte production in the blood will be too small, resulting in iron deficiency anemia.
2. Why does iron deficiency anemia occur?
If the body does not consume enough iron, or if it loses too much iron to produce enough hemoglobin, it can lead to iron deficiency anemia.
Common causes of iron deficiency anemia are:
Excessive blood loss. Red blood cells in the blood contain iron, and if the body bleeds, it can lead to iron loss. People with frequent menorrhagia and slow bleeding from internal organs (such as peptic ulcer) are prone to iron deficiency anemia.
Dietary deficiency in iron. If there is a lack of iron in the diet and there is no way to get enough iron from food, iron deficiency anemia will occur in the long run.
The body is unable to absorb iron. The iron in food is absorbed into the bloodstream by the small intestine. Having intestinal diseases, such as celiac disease, can affect the ability of the intestines to absorb nutrients from it and may lead to iron deficiency anemia. If the small intestine has been operated on and a portion has been removed, the ability to absorb nutrients such as iron may also be affected.
pregnant. Many pregnant women develop iron deficiency anemia. After pregnancy, women not only need more iron for their own blood volume, but they also need to provide enough iron for the growing fetus.
3. Who is more likely to develop iron deficiency anemia?
Although iron deficiency anemia is at risk in everyone, the following populations are at higher risk.
female. Women excrete menstrual blood during menstruation and are therefore more likely to develop iron deficiency anemia.
Infants and children. Infants, especially those born low and premature, may be at risk of iron deficiency if they do not get enough iron from breast milk or formula. Children grow and develop faster during puberty and need more iron.
Vegetarians. If they don't eat other iron-rich foods, vegetarians may be at greater risk of iron deficiency anemia.
People who donate blood regularly. People who donate blood regularly may have an increased risk of iron deficiency anemia because donating blood depletes the body's iron.
4. What are the symptoms of iron deficiency anemia?
In the early stages of iron deficiency anemia, symptoms are mostly inconspicuous or even absent. With a decrease in iron levels and an increase in the degree of anemia in the body, patients may experience the following symptoms:
Inattention;
Feeling weak and tired, easy to get tired;
Pale, dry, wrinkled skin;
Chest pain, rapid heartbeat or shortness of breath;
Headache, dizziness;
Luminitis, glossitis, atrophy of the papillary of the tongue, cracked corners of the mouth, dysphagia;
Abnormal nails, such as paleness, thinning, flattening, fragility and easy to fold;
When iron levels are very low, symptoms of pica (that is, you want to eat something that is not food, such as dust, paint or chalk).
When children suffer from iron deficiency anemia, symptoms such as growth retardation and mental retardation may also occur.
5. What are the dangers of iron deficiency anemia?
After the development of iron deficiency anemia, in addition to some symptoms, it may also cause some complications.
As a rule, mild iron deficiency anemia does not cause complications. However, if left untreated and iron supplemented, iron deficiency anemia can become more severe and lead to complications, including:
Heart problems. Iron deficiency anemia may cause a rapid heartbeat or irregularities. When iron deficiency anemia occurs, the heart must pump more blood to compensate for the lack of oxygen in the blood, which can lead to heart failure.
Pregnancy problems. During pregnancy, severe iron deficiency anemia is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth and low-weight babies.
Growth and development problems. In infancy and childhood, severe iron deficiency anemia can lead to growth retardation. In addition, iron deficiency anemia is also associated with an increased risk of infection.
6. How to prevent the occurrence of iron deficiency anemia?
Eating more iron-rich foods will help prevent the occurrence of iron deficiency anemia. Iron in the diet is divided into heme iron and non-heme iron, the former is easily absorbed, the latter is not easily absorbed.
Heme iron is mainly derived from hemoglobin and myoglobin in red and poultry meat. Foods rich in heme iron mainly include red meat, animal liver, animal blood products, shellfish and so on.
Non-heme iron is mainly found in plant foods and dairy products. Foods rich in non-heme iron mainly include whole grains, legumes, nuts, preserved fruits and green vegetables.
At the same time, when eating more iron-rich foods, eating some foods rich in vitamin C can help promote iron absorption.
In addition, taking iron supplements under the guidance of medical personnel can also help prevent iron deficiency anemia.
All in all, our body needs enough iron to prevent the occurrence of iron deficiency anemia; at the same time, the intake of iron should not be too much, otherwise it will lead to excessive iron deposition in various organs and tissues, causing damage.
According to the Chinese Nutrition Society, the recommended intake of dietary iron for adults is 12 mg/day for men and 20 mg/day for women, with a maximum intake of 42 mg/day. As for which foods to supplement iron, you can refer to the contents of previous periods: beauty, anti-fatigue, shiny hair and nails... Iron supplements can be eaten with these foods!