Hazards of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Women

Written by Zhang Xiao Le
Hematology
Updated on October 20, 2024
00:00
00:00

The harm of iron deficiency anemia in women is related to the severity of the anemia. Mild anemia generally has no obvious clinical symptoms; moderate anemia often presents with fatigue, palpitations and shortness of breath after activity, dizziness, tinnitus, insomnia, frequent dreams, reduced appetite, and poor digestive function; severe anemia can affect the quality of life, with symptoms of palpitations and shortness of breath even with slight activity, and can severely impact the quality of life. The most common cause of iron deficiency anemia in women is due to increased menstrual flow. Additional examinations, such as gynecological ultrasound, are necessary to clarify the presence of conditions like uterine fibroids or adenomyosis, and to provide targeted treatment.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by He Li Fang
Hematology
1min 14sec home-news-image

Iron deficiency anemia lacks iron.

Iron deficiency anemia is an anemia caused by the lack of stored iron in the body, affecting the synthesis of hemoglobin. It is characterized by a lack of stainable iron in the bone marrow, liver, spleen, and other organ tissues, as well as decreased serum iron concentration, transferrin saturation, and ferritin levels, typically presenting as microcytic hypochromic anemia. Thus, iron deficiency anemia refers to a deficiency of iron. Iron is an essential trace element in the human body, involved in cellular functions and metabolic processes. The body has a strict regulatory mechanism for iron metabolism to ensure that iron levels are always maintained at a normal level, referred to as iron homeostasis. Iron homeostasis relies crucially on the balance between intestinal iron absorption and the body's iron requirements. Once this balance is disrupted, problems in iron distribution, absorption, transport, and storage may occur, leading to iron deficiency anemia.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by He Li Fang
Hematology
1min 14sec home-news-image

What is good to eat for iron deficiency anemia?

Iron deficiency anemia is a commonly seen type of nutritional anemia in clinical settings, with many causes. It can be caused by an insufficient intake of dietary iron needed to meet the body's demands. This insufficiency can also arise when the body's requirement for iron increases, or due to certain diseases, such as atrophic gastritis, lack of stomach acid, or the excessive use of antacids, which affect iron absorption. Increased bodily consumption due to conditions like diarrhea or hookworm infection can also lead to iron deficiency. For patients with iron deficiency anemia, it is generally recommended to improve the utilization of dietary iron. The first step is to modify dietary habits and lifestyle. For instance, it is suggested that vegetarians change their dietary patterns to include more iron-rich foods, such as animal liver, beef kidney, and chicken gizzards. Iron-rich vegetarian options include soy, black fungus, sesame paste, brown sugar, and dried fruits. Therefore, it is advisable for patients with iron deficiency anemia to increase their intake of these types of foods.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by He Li Fang
Hematology
1min 26sec home-news-image

Characteristics of iron deficiency anemia blood picture

The clinical manifestations of iron deficiency anemia are due to the specific characteristics of anemia caused by iron deficiency and the underlying disease causing the iron deficiency. Its hematological characteristics present as typical microcytic hypochromic anemia. What does this concept mean? It refers to the values in a complete blood count where MCV is less than 80 femtoliters, MCH is less than 27 picograms, and MCHC is less than 30%. MCV refers to the average red blood cell volume, MCH refers to the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and MCHC refers to the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration of red blood cells. The extent of changes in red blood cell indices correlates with the duration and severity of anemia. The blood smear typically shows pale-stained red blood cells with an enlarged central pallor and varying sizes. Platelet count often tends to be high when there is concurrent bleeding and generally tends to be low in infants and children. White blood cell count is usually normal or slightly reduced, with normal differential. These are the hematological characteristics of iron deficiency anemia.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by He Li Fang
Hematology
55sec home-news-image

Diet for Iron Deficiency Anemia

Patients with iron-deficiency anemia need to undergo pharmacological treatment with oral or injective iron supplements. In addition, patient health education should be enhanced to guide them in following a scientific and reasonable diet. For example, patients who are picky eaters or have insufficient intake should change their dietary structure and lifestyle in order to increase iron intake and bioavailability. This ensures that all key nutrients involved in the production of red blood cells are sufficient. Moreover, it is necessary to increase the intake of iron-rich foods, mainly including animal liver, blood, as well as soybeans, black fungus, egg yolks, brown sugar, lean meat, sheep kidneys, dried fruits, and sesame paste.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Xiao Le
Hematology
51sec home-news-image

Does iron deficiency anemia cause tiredness?

Patients with iron-deficiency anemia can exhibit symptoms of fatigue. Anemia is characterized by red blood cells and hemoglobin levels that are below the normal range. Red blood cells are the main cells responsible for transporting oxygen in the body. Oxygen enters the blood through gas exchange in the lungs and is then delivered throughout the body by red blood cells to supply oxygen. Therefore, patients with anemia will show varying degrees of ischemia and hypoxia. In the nervous system, this can be manifested as lethargy, insomnia, frequent dreaming, tinnitus, blurry vision, fainting, and lack of concentration. As the severity of anemia increases, these symptoms may also worsen. Patients with severe anemia may exhibit significant lethargy and drowsiness.