Causes of Iron Deficiency Anemia

Speaking of iron deficiency anemia, it is well known that the main cause of this type of disease is that the human body consumes relatively little iron, and it can easily lead to dizziness and fatigue. In addition, for underage children, it may even lead to developmental delays, or even symptoms such as anorexia, nausea, etc. In short, iron deficiency anemia is extremely harmful to our body. So what are the causes of iron deficiency anemia?

In fact, iron deficiency anemia is mainly caused by the fact that the amount of iron stored in our body can no longer meet the normal growth and needs of our red blood cells. In addition to paying attention to timely nutritional supplements in the diet, patients with this type of disease also need to eliminate bad habits such as picky eating.

Causes of Iron Deficiency Anemia

Iron deficiency anemia is anemia that occurs when the body's iron stores cannot meet the needs of normal red blood cell production. It is caused by insufficient iron intake, reduced absorption, increased iron requirements, impaired iron utilization or excessive loss.

Clinical manifestations

Common symptoms include fatigue, irritability, palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, and headache. Children show growth retardation and poor concentration. Some patients experience gastrointestinal symptoms such as anorexia, heartburn, bloating, nausea and constipation. A few severe patients may experience dysphagia, angular cheilitis and glossitis.

In addition to the anemic appearance, the skin is dry and wrinkled, and the hair is dry and easy to fall off. The nails are thin, flat, rough, easily broken, and even spoon-shaped (seen in long-term severe patients).

diagnosis

Pay attention to eating habits and whether you have partial eclipse or pica. Whether there are digestive system diseases (atrophic gastritis, gastric ulcer or duodenal ulcer, etc.), hookworm disease; whether women have menorrhagia; whether they have undergone gastrointestinal surgery, etc. Men and postmenopausal women should consider whether this is the first symptom of gastrointestinal tumors. At the same time, the diagnosis can be confirmed based on clinical symptoms and examinations.

treat

1. Eliminate the cause: Find out the cause as much as possible and treat it accordingly.

2. Drug treatment: (1) Oral medications such as ferrous sulfate can be taken with meals. If gastrointestinal symptoms are obvious, the dosage can be gradually increased according to the situation, and the gastrointestinal symptoms will be significantly alleviated. Or take iron fumarate orally, etc. (2) Injectable iron therapy can be given to patients who: ① cannot tolerate oral iron; ② lose blood too quickly and cannot be compensated by oral iron; ③ patients with ulcerative colitis or localized colitis who do not respond to oral iron therapy; ④ those who cannot absorb iron from the gastrointestinal tract, such as patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery.

We all know the causes of iron deficiency anemia. In fact, anemia is very harmful to our physical health. In addition to making our skin dry and rough, it can also cause our hair to become dry and yellow, and our nails are prone to breakage. Therefore, in addition to the treatment of iron deficiency anemia with drugs, you also need to start from your daily diet and eat more iron-rich foods.