Iron deficiency anemia: its symptoms and treatment
Anemia is a painful condition of the body, which is characterized by a decrease in the mass of red blood cells. The most common anemia is iron deficiency. Characteristic of this condition is the presence of depletion of the iron reserve in the human body.
Hemolytic anemia occupies 5.3% of cases among all diseases, 11.5% among anemic conditions. The structure of hemolytic anemias consists mainly of hereditary forms of diseases.
Causes of iron deficiency anemia
To the reasons for the development of iron deficiency can be attributed:
- iron deficiency at birth. This risk group includes children born before the term and children from mothers who had anemia during pregnancy;
- inadequate intake of iron from food, as well as impaired digestion of iron in the gastrointestinal tract. Since iron can be absorbed in the duodenum and jejunum, diseases such as chronic enteritis or impaired intestinal absorption can become a barrier;
- increased need for iron because of the growth, maturation of various organs, increasing the volume of circulating blood. It is very important to receive a sufficient dose of iron during the adolescent period, as well as to the girls at the time of menstruation.
- excess loss of iron. These are various blood loss: diseases of the digestive tract( peptic ulcer, polyps), worms or profuse menstruation. It is also possible to observe excessive loss of iron with a pronounced allergy on the skin on the skin and frequent catarrhal diseases.
Symptoms of the disease
Depending on the rate of development of iron deficiency anemia and its duration, the symptoms of this condition will also be expressed. There are cases when anemia iron deficiency has an average severity, but it is asymptomatic.
Signs of iron deficiency anemia - it's fatigue, shortness of breath, heart palpitations. Very often the patient complains of dizziness and headache, as well as tinnitus. There may be fainting. In addition, there is irritability, sleep disturbance and decreased concentration of attention.
There are also problems with the gastrointestinal tract - appetite decreases, nausea appears, the character and frequency of the stool change.
The main symptom of anemia is the pallor of the skin. However, this feature is sometimes difficult to determine due to the color of the skin. Therefore, experts resort to a more informative symptom of a painful condition - pallor of visible mucous membranes. For example, to the mucous membrane of the mouth and conjunctiva of the eyelids.
Prolonged iron deficiency can be accompanied by a perverted appetite and sense of smell when a person wants to eat chalk and snort gasoline. In addition, you can observe cracks in the corners of the lips and tongue, as well as brittle nails. With a problem such as iron deficiency anemia, ARVI occurs more often, which further exacerbates iron deficiency.
Treatment of iron deficiency anemia
In the presence of such a painful condition, the treatment of anemia is carried out with iron preparations. The main goal of this therapy is to eliminate iron deficiency, and not simply to increase the level of hemoglobin. The duration of such treatment is usually long and is at least 3 months.
Iron preparations should be taken with food. A The treatment of iron deficiency anemia in children is also accompanied by the intake of these drugs, but in a liquid form, for example, actinferrin or maltofer. In addition, it is worth paying attention to the nutrition of a child suffering from anemia.
Products for anemia
If you need to increase the level of iron in the body, you need to pay attention, first of all, to its absorption and assimilation, and not to its content in certain products. Cereals, vegetables and fruits are bad food for getting iron. The diet should have a large number of products such as beef tongue, beef and rabbit meat. If you simultaneously eat vegetables and fruits with meat, liver and fish, it can improve the absorption of iron.
To enhance the absorption of iron from plant foods, you must consume ascorbic acid, meat products, poultry, fish and substances, which reduces the acidity of food, for example, lactic acid. It is recommended to exclude from your diet tea, coffee, nuts, beans, and also soy protein.
There is also an intramuscular injection of drugs, but it is carried out only on strict indications, as local and systemic side effects may develop.
Indications for this treatment option for anemia:
- diseases of the digestive tract;
- intolerance of preparations containing iron, when taken by mouth.
Prevention of
It is very important to prevent this disease in women during childbearing, as anemia in pregnancy can lead to the birth of a baby with the same problem as that of the mother.
When diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia - a diet will help save the situation. Enrich your table with products such as beef, various cereals, liver, sardines, spinach, white cabbage, melon, turnip, etc.