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Iron - Deficiency Symptoms And Food Sources
By Candy Williams
Iron deficiency means less than adequate iron levels in the body.
Iron is an essential component of haemoglobin - the oxygen carrying pigment in the blood. Iron-deficient people tire easily because their bodies remain starved for oxygen. Without enough iron, the body's fuel cannot be properly synthesized.
Iron deficiency is the most common cause of low red blood cell count or anaemia, worldwide. Women are more prone to iron deficiency. In general, it affects about 10 percent of pre-menopausal women, 6 percent of post-menopausal women, and less than 2 percent of men.
Symptoms of iron deficiency:
-If a person is otherwise healthy, symptoms only appear after haemoglobin level drops below 10g/dl.
-The initial symptoms are tiredness, giddiness and fast palpitations (tachycardia).
-Shortness of breath even on slight exertion.
-Pale appearance
-Fainting
-If iron deficiency is severe, angina (chest pain), headache and leg pain (difficulty walking).
In pronounced cases of iron deficiency, noticeable symptoms appear in the tongue and throat and include:
-burning sensation in the tongue.
-dryness in the mouth and throat.
-sores at the corners of the mouth.
-the nails become brittle
-pica (an insatiable craving for a specific food, often not rich in iron)
-brittle hair.
-difficulty swallowing.
What are the causes of iron deficiency?
Human bone marrow needs iron, along with vitamins, to produce haemoglobin and red blood cells. Our body gets vitamins and iron from the food we eat, as well as also recycles iron from old red blood cells.
Iron deficiency can lead to anaemia - when the body lacks adequate iron to make haemoglobin.
Causes of iron deficiency include:
-Pregnancy - Iron deficiency may occur in many pregnant women because their iron stores need to serve their own increased blood volume as well as be a source of haemoglobin for the growing foetus.
-Blood loss - Women with heavy periods are at risk of iron deficiency because they lose a lot of blood during menstruation. Other causes may be peptic ulcer, hernia, a kidney or bladder tumour, polyp or uterine fibroids. Gastrointestinal bleeding due to regular use of aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be a source of iron loss.
-A lack of iron in diet - iron-rich foods include meat, eggs, green leafy vegetables such as spinach, whole-grain or iron-fortified foods.
-Inability to absorb iron – maybe due to some intestinal disorder such as Crohn's disease or celiac disease, which affects the intestine's ability to absorb nutrients from food.
-Diseases such as leukaemia, piles, stomach cancer.
Who are at risk of iron deficiency?
-Older people – maybe due to chronic internal bleeding usually caused by ulcers, polyps, or tumours.
-People, who have lost their teeth, as they have difficulty eating a proper balanced diet. Such people should take a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement containing iron.
-Women, especially those who menstruate heavily.
-Pregnant women - must take a daily supplement containing iron to provide the extra iron required to nourish the developing foetus.
How can iron deficiency be treated?
The treatment definitely depends on the cause of iron deficiency. If iron deficiency
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