Skip to main content

What Is Iron Deficiency Anemia ? Health tips Ezhilarasan library

What Is Iron Deficiency Anemia?

Every organ and tissue in your body needs oxygen to work. Red blood cells are the transport system that carries oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body.

When you have anemia, your body doesn’t have enough of these blood cells.

You get iron deficiency anemia when your body is low in iron. You need iron to make hemoglobin -- a protein that helps your red blood cells carry oxygen. Without enough oxygen in your blood, and you may feel tired, weak, and short of breath.

Your doctor will find out why your iron is low. Usually, you can treat iron deficiency anemia with supplements. Once your iron levels increase, you should start to feel better.

What Causes Iron Deficiency Anemia?

It can happen if you don't eat enough foods containing iron, your body can't properly absorb iron, you lose iron through your blood, or you’re pregnant.

Your diet is low in iron. How much iron you need depends on your age and gender. Men need at least 8 milligrams (mg) daily. Women ages 50 and younger need more -- 18 mg.

Your body can't absorb iron. Iron from the foods you eat is absorbed in your small intestine. Conditions like celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, or Crohn's disease can make it harder for your intestines to absorb iron. Surgery such as gastric bypass that removes part of your intestines, and medicines used to lower stomach acid can also affect your body's ability to absorb iron..

Blood loss. Some conditions can make you bleed inside your body, including:

Peptic ulcer Hernia Uterine fibroids Colon polyps

Women with heavy periods can become low in iron. Also, injuries and frequent blood donations can cause it.

Pregnancy. When you’re expecting, you need extra iron to nourish your growing baby. If you don't get enough iron from your diet or  supplements, you can become deficient.

What Are the Symptoms?

Mild iron deficiency anemia often isn't noticeable. When it gets more severe, you may have these symptoms:

Tiredness or weakness Pale or yellow skin Shortness of breath Dizziness Headaches Fast heartbeat Chest pain Cold feet and hands Brittle, cracked nails and hair loss Pica (cravings for things that aren't food, like dirt, starch, clay, or ice) Sore and swollen tongue Restless legs syndrome (an urge to move your legs while you’re in bed)

Because these can also be symptoms of other conditions, see your doctor to get a diagnosis.

How Is It Diagnosed?

Your doctor will do one or more of these blood tests to find out if you have iron deficiency anemia.

Complete blood count (CBC). This test checks to see how many red blood cells you have.Peripheral blood smear. This test looks at the size and shape of your red blood cells. In iron deficiency anemia, red blood cells are smaller than usual.

Hematocrit. This test shows how much of your blood is made up of red cells.

Hemoglobin. This test shows the amount of this protein in your blood. If you have anemia, your hemoglobin will be low.

Serum iron. This test shows how much iron is in your blood.

Ferritin. This test shows how much iron is stored in your body by measuring this protein.

Transferrin and total iron-binding capacity (TIBC). These tests show how much of a protein called transferrin is free to carry iron through your body.

Reticulocyte count. This test shows how many reticulocytes (immature red blood cells) you have in your blood. If you have iron deficiency anemia, your reticulocyte count is usually low because you’re not making many new red blood cells.

If blood tests show you have iron deficiency anemia, you might need other tests  too ***

What’s the Treatment?

You can treat iron deficiency anemia by taking iron supplements. Most people take 150 to 200 milligrams (mg) each day, but your doctor will recommend a dose based on your iron levels.

Take vitamin C, too. It helps your body absorb the iron.

You might need to take iron supplements for a few months or more to get your levels back up to normal. If your intestines don't absorb iron well, you can take iron straight into your bloodstream through an intravenous tube (IV).

But be warned: Iron supplements can cause constipation, nausea, vomiting,  diarrhea, heartburn, and dark poop.

Your symptoms should start to go away after about a week. Your doctor will check your blood to see if your anemia has improved.

You can also get more iron in your diet by eating more of these foods:

Beef, pork, liver, chicken, turkey, duck, and shellfishLeafy greens such as broccoli, kale, turnip greens, and collard greens Peas, lima beans, black-eyed peas, and pinto beans Iron-enriched cereals and other grains Dried fruits, such as prunes and raisins

If supplements don't help with your symptoms or your anemia is severe, you might need a transfusion of red blood cells. Or, if you have an ulcer, tumor, or other growth, it may need to be treated with medicines or surgery.

WebMD Medical Reference Reviewed by Neha Pathak, MD on January 09, 2017

Source :

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/iron-deficiency-anemia

Collected
by
Ezhilarasan Venkatachalam
Salem, South India.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Translation - Just Smiling In the Mirror daily in good - Venkatachalam Salem

Daily even smiling at ourself is good. தினமும் நம் முகத்தை பார்த்து, நமக்கு நாமே சிரித்துக் கொண்டால் கூட நல்லதாம்.  We often think of a smile as a natural response to feel good emotions. /  நல்ல உணர்ச்சிகளை வெளிக்காட்ட அல்லது உணர  புன்னகையை இயற்கையான பதிலாக நாம்  நினைக்கின்றோம். But did you know that smiling – even if that smile is fake – can boost your mood and reduce stress? /  ஆனால் புன்னகை -- அந்த புன்னகை போலியானதாக இருந்தாலும் -- உங்கள் மனநிலையை அதிகரிக்கவும் மன அழுத்தத்தைக் குறைக்கவும் முடியும் என்பது உங்களுக்குத் தெரியுமா? Just Smile In the Mirror daily. /  தினமும் கண்ணாடியில் உங்கள் முகத்தை பார்த்து சிரிக்கவும். Research found that a big smile that involves facial muscle activity around the eyes can produce a change in brain activity and mood. /  கண்களைச் சுற்றியுள்ள முகத் தசைச் செயல்பாட்டை உள்ளடக்கிய ஒரு பெரிய புன்னகை, நம் மூளை செயல்பாட்டில் மற்றும் மனநிலையில் மாற்றத்தை ஏற்படுத்தும் என்று ஆராய்ச்சிகள் கூறுகிறது. All this research points to one simple but wonderful conclusion:

translation - How to get good sleep?

Tips for getting good sleep கீழ்க்கண்ட வழிமுறைகளைத் தவறாமல் பின்பற்றினால், நல்ல தூக்கம் உங்களை ஆரத்தழுவிக்கொள்ளும்: Tips for getting good sleep. 1] பகல் தூக்கம் 30-40 நிமிடங்கள் போதும். Restrict your daytime sleep to 30 to 50 minutes. 2] மாலையில் செய்யும் உடற்பயிற்சி இரவில் நல்ல தூக்கத்தைக் கொடுக்கும். Exercises done in the evening will induce good sleep in the night. 3] தூக்கத்தைக் கெடுக்கும் மாத்திரையைத் தவிருங்கள் அல்லது மாலையிலேயே எடுத்துக் கொள்ளுங்கள். உதாரணம்: அதிக சிறுநீர் வெளியேறக் காரணமாக இருக்கும் மாத்திரைகள். Avoid eating certain tablets that  generates excess urine or eat them in the evening itself. 4] இரவு எட்டு மணிக்கு மேல் காபி, மது, புகைப்பிடித்தல் கூடவே கூடாது. Avoid drinking coffee, tea or alcohol after 8 pm. Also avoid smoking. 5] படுப்பதற்கு முன்பு வெந்நீரில் குளித்துவிட்டு வெதுவெதுப்பான பால் அருந்தினால் நல்ல தூக்கம் வரும். Before you go to bed, drinking  lukewarm milk after taking a hot water bath will induce good sleep. 6] வெதுவெதுப்பான பாலில் இரண்டு டீஸ்பூன் தேனு

Daily Drink butter-milk or lemon juice in summer Venkatachalam Salem

  Daily Drink butter-milk or lemon juice in summer Venkatachalam Salem In hot summer days, we sweat a lot.  வெப்பமான கோடை நாட்களில் நம் உடலில் இருந்து நிறைய வியர்வை வரும். . . Therefore, we lose a lot of SALT from our body through sweat.  எனவே, வியர்வை மூலம் நம் உடலில் இருந்து நிறைய  உப்பை  இழக்கிறோம். Hence, drink butter milk with enough SALT to compensate this salt loss. எனவே, இந்த உப்பு இழப்பை ஈடுசெய்ய போதுமான  உப்பு கலந்த   மொரைக் குடிக்கவும். You may also drink homemade lemon juice with added SALT and SUGAR or HONEY. வீட்டில் எலுமிச்சை சாற்றுடன் சிறிது உப்பும் சர்க்கரையும் (அல்லது தேனும்) கலந்து ஜூஸ் செய்து நீங்கள் குடிக்கலாம். If you feel very tired you may be dehydrated.   நீங்கள் மிகவும் சோர்வாக உணர்ந்தால் உங்களுக்கு  நீரிழப்பு ஏற்பட்டு இருக்கலாம்.  If you suspect this please get  -ORS packets from a medical shop and mix it with water and drink it.  இதை நீங்கள் சந்தேகித்தால், தயவுசெய்து ஒரு மருத்து கடையில் இருந்து -ORS பாக்கெட்டுகளைப் பெற்று அதை தண்ணீரில் கலந்து குடிக்கவும். AL