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Anaemia is a
condition where you have too few red blood cells or not enough
haemoglobin in your blood. It can make you feel tired, breathless and
faint. The most common type of anaemia is caused when there is not
enough iron in the body. This is known as iron-deficiency anaemia.
You need
iron for many important processes inside your body, especially for
making the oxygen-carrying pigment in your blood called haemoglobin.
Iron is
absorbed from the food and drink you eat by your small intestine. The
iron is carried in the blood to the bone marrow - where blood cells are
produced - where it's combined with proteins to make haemoglobin. Spare
iron can be stored in the liver.
Iron is lost
from your body in urine, faeces, dead skin cells and when blood is lost
from the body.
On average,
men need 8.7mg of iron a day and women need 14.8mg a day. You can
usually get all the iron you need from your diet. Certain groups of
people are more likely to have iron-deficiency anaemia. These include
babies, teenagers and women who have heavy periods.
The symptoms
of iron-deficiency anaemia include:
Less common
symptoms can include tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and an altered sense
of taste.
Iron-deficiency anaemia can make people irritable and have poor
concentration. It can affect children's growth, causing behavioural and
learning difficulties.
Some people
with iron-deficiency anaemia develop thin skin and spoon-shaped or
brittle nails. It can also cause painful cracks at the sides of the
mouth and a sore tongue.
Occasionally, in women over 40, iron deficiency can be a symptom of a
condition called Plummer-Vinson syndrome. This also causes difficulty
swallowing due to small web-like growths in the oesophagus (the pipe
that runs from your mouth to your stomach).
Iron is an
important ingredient of haemoglobin. A shortage, or deficiency, of iron
in the body causes the bone marrow to make small red blood cells that
don't contain enough haemoglobin. These red blood cells can't carry
enough oxygen to the organs and tissues of the body.
In developed
countries such as the UK, iron deficiency usually happens when there is
not enough iron in the diet, or if the iron in the diet is not absorbed
properly. It can also occur if too much iron is lost through blood loss.
Diet
A typical
Western diet that includes meat contains enough iron for most adults.
Vegans, vegetarians and dieters may not get enough iron. Toddlers and
babies who drink cow's milk and are very "picky" about solid foods can
also be short of iron.
Coeliac
disease (gluten intolerance) damages the lining of the intestine,
preventing the normal absorption of nutrients, including iron. Surgery
on the stomach or small intestine can also interfere with normal
absorption of iron.
Loss of blood
Bleeding due
to an injury or surgery can lead to anaemia. It is also possible to have
invisible blood loss, especially from the digestive system (stomach and
intestine). Causes of iron-deficiency anaemia include:
The most
common cause of iron deficiency worldwide is hookworm infection. These
parasites live in the intestines and feed on blood.
Other causes
The groups
of people who are more likely to have iron-deficiency anaemia are:
You are also
more likely to have iron-deficiency anaemia if you:
If your
doctor suspects you have iron-deficiency anaemia, he or she will
probably ask you to have a blood test called a full blood count (FBC).
The normal
amount - or concentration - of haemoglobin for adults is at least 13g/dl
for men (13 grams of haemoglobin per decilitre of blood - a decilitre is
100ml) and 11.5g/dl for women. If your haemoglobin levels are lower than
this, you have anaemia.
If your
haemoglobin is low, and your red cells are small, you may have iron
deficiency. Other tests may be needed to give an idea of your body's
store of iron.
Your doctor
will first try to work out why you are deficient in iron. If you are
pregnant or a growing teenager, your doctor may recommend a course of
iron supplements (such as ferrous sulphate tablets). Always ask your
doctor for advice and read the patient information leaflet that comes
with your medicine.
The aim of a
course of tablets is to make up for the shortage of iron and then build
up your body's stores of iron to the normal level. This usually involves
taking tablets three times a day for up to six months. If your doctor
suspects another problem, such as blood loss, you may need treatment for
this as well as a course of iron tablets.
Iron
supplements can have side-effects. These include constipation, diarrhoea,
an upset stomach or feeling sick. They can also cause faeces to turn
black. These side-effects can be off-putting, but they may be reduced by
taking the tablets after meals.
People who
can't take iron tablets by mouth may be given an injection into a muscle
instead or into vein . This is quite uncomfortable and can stain the
skin.
The best way
to prevent iron-deficiency anaemia is to eat a diet that contains plenty
of iron. The recommended daily amount is 8.7mg a day for men and 14.8mg
a day for women.
Good sources
of iron include: liver, meat, beans, nuts, dried fruit, whole grains
(such as brown rice), fortified breakfast cereals, and most dark-green
leafy vegetables (such as watercress and curly kale).
It's a good
idea to eat foods containing vitamin C at the same time as eating
sources of iron because this helps with iron absorption. Good sources of
vitamin C include peppers, fruit juice, sweet potatoes, oranges and kiwi
fruit. |