Iron deficiency has become very common nowadays and hence people are growing their awareness of the ways through which they must not suffer from it in the future. Over the last few decades, the body’s natural supply of iron has been reduced. This is a consequence of the increased consumption of salt, refined carbohydrates, alcohol, tobacco, and other products that contain a high level of iron. In addition, most of the people in our western world are undergoing an excessive intake of protein-rich foods and other iron-rich foods, such as soybean products, shellfish, and citrus fruits. This situation creates a large pool of ferritin levels in the blood, causing depletion of the body’s endogenous production of iron, which is the cause of excessive iron loss.
In this post, you will learn about what exactly is iron deficiency and iron deficiency treatment that helps in proper recovery. Let’s dive into our first concern of anemia!
What is anemia?
Anemia is a condition when your body is low in red blood cells or hemoglobin. The most common symptom is a weakness which is happened to almost every type of blood disorder. Since anemia is caused by low blood cells, you tend to feel weak and lethargic. These red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen to your body’s tissue. When you are anemic, this makes it difficult for oxygen to get to your tissues, and for your body to produce the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin.
Types of anemia
One of the types that we know and which is very common nowadays is iron deficiency. Iron deficiency disease, at least among our kids, is also a very common problem. Others include aplastic anemia, sickle cell anemia, pernicious anemia, and anemia of chronic disease. The treatment depends on the type of anemia you are suffering from. Since every anemia is different in its way, the process for the treatment also has to be changed.
What causes anemia?
As we know anemia is caused by a lack of red blood cells in your body but what are the facts that lead to such a loss! The loss of anemia is caused by many factors and each type is different from one another. Anemia could be mild and severe depending upon the losses your body is having. All these things are directly connected with the condition of the red blood cells.
Iron-Deficiency Anemia
This is the most common type of Anemia in which the patient lacks healthy red blood cells that are capable of supplying oxygen to body parts. This type of anemia is acquired and is caused when there is less intake of iron supplements or iron-rich food. When there is a lack of iron intake the body starts to tap on the iron stored in your body. When the stored iron source depletes, Iron- deficiency anemia happens. Many children around the world suffer from malnutrition and tend to fall prey to this type of anemia. Another cause for iron deficiency anemia is blood loss, which can be a result of heavy menstrual periods, bleeding fibroids, childbirth, internal bleeding caused by an ulcer, colon cancer or urinary tract infections, injuries or surgery, and repeated blood drawing.
The symptoms of iron deficiency anemia are quite similar to other types of anemia apart from symptoms such as cracks around your mouth, oral ulcers, brittle nails, poor appetite, enlarged spleen, cravings for non-food items such as ice, paint or chalk, swelling and soreness of the tongue and fast heartbeat.
Does it have any complications?
Every deficiency comes up with some or the other type of complications.
● You might have premature birth or low birth weight
● You may have heart problems
● You may be susceptible to infections
Which treatment would be the best?
Your doctor can assist you with many treatment options. If you are super low in iron, you might be put on a daily iron supplement dosage. Taking the supplements daily will help in raising the level of your iron. Generally, people with iron-deficient needs at least 150-200 mg per day. Magnesium helps regulate blood glucose levels, and lowering your overall iron status can decrease your blood glucose levels. This is beneficial for people with diabetes who have low iron levels.
How much iron should I get?
For iron supplementation, you need to look at the amount you are taking in. If you are supplementing with 600 mg of iron you might need to add 400 mg of creatine or 50 mg of beta alanine.
Your doctor might keep you over a full observation, if he sees you are not very well recovering even after taking supplements, he might shift to iron intravenously.
Is there any side effects?
While you are put on an anemia treatment, you might experience some side effects but they only come when you ignore the basic guidelines of your doctor. High doses can lead to constipation, vomiting and even nausea. You might see your stools getting much darker than usual. If you are put on an iron intravenously, you might experience itching, hives, and muscle pain.
You may have some kind of serious side effects. During such a stage, you must report to your doctor ASAP. these are some of the serious side effects you might have:
● Irregular heartbeat
● Chest pain
● Trouble breathing
● Metallic type of taste in your mouth
Conclusion, iron deficiency can be put under control, all you have to do is to Make an appointment with your private doctor in London as soon as possible for diagnosis and management. Only a qualified London doctor can treat you with a better procedure.
