Iron deficiency anemia: Symptoms and treatment

By puppydoglvr on Sun, 09-19-10, 19:03

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A close friend of mine just suffered severe symptoms from iron deficiency anemia, such as dizziness. She's been in and out of the hospital over the past few weeks, it's been a bit of a scary time. Thus, I did a bit of research and came across this informative article that I wanted to share with you;

"Iron is an essential component of our diet and requirements vary throughout life and are higher for women who are menstruating as well as during pregnancy and in some disease states. Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is one of the most common forms of anemia affecting millions of people worldwide. Susceptible groups include pregnant women, infants born to iron deficient mothers, vegans, children from poor socioeconomic areas and blood donors.

Iron deficiency anemia roughly develops in three stages. In stage 1 iron depletion occurs, this is shown by a decrease in iron stores without affecting essential body iron and no symptoms may be apparent. However when the amount of iron available to the bone marrow is reduced as in stage 2, there may be noticeable changes to concentration levels and decreased work performance due to fatigue. Stage 3 represents IDA and the full force of symptoms will be apparent.

You can suspect you may be suffering from IDA if you are experiencing some of the following symptoms including breathlessness, tiredness and dizziness. These symptoms occur due to reduced transport of oxygen around the body as a result of decreased iron and hemoglobin. Other noticeable symptoms may include changes in pulse and perhaps a pounding heart rate, headaches, a ringing sound in the ears and a craving for non-food substances known as pica. Sufferers are also thought to be more susceptible to infections. A physical examination by a clinician may also show pale skin, brittle spoon shaped nails with vertical stripes, cracked lips, an inflamed tongue, sores at the corners of the mouth, brittle hair, occult blood loss, as well as increased irritability.

Treatment revolves around identifying the underlying cause of the iron deficiency and treating this cause as well as giving dietary advice and a course of iron supplements. Regarding dietary modifications a diet high in iron should be consumed. Foods such as red meats, dried fruits, liver and cereals fortified with iron and also foods which help increase the absorption of iron including fermented vegetables and ascorbic acid should be introduced into the diet. Foods containing tannin and phytates should be removed from the diet as they interfere with iron absorption by binding to iron. A course of iron supplements such as 200mg ferrous sulphate, which contain 67mg of iron per tablet, should be taken on an empty stomach every 6 hours. The iron supplements should be given for long enough to correct the deficiency and replenish iron stores. If side effects such as nausea and constipation arise, the supplements may be taken with food, however it must be noted that this reduces the amount of iron absorbed from the medication. In extreme circumstances where patient has an absorption problem iron can be given via intravenous and intramuscular routes, however both these methods of delivery are less favourable than oral supplementation."

Source: Helium, by Marie Bywater

By marcie on Fri, 10-15-10, 22:14

Thank you so much for your extensive research, with all this wonderful information, it is easier to comprehend some of the symptoms and not to be nervous and scared. We all need to take care of our health. Thank you again and God bless you.

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By marcie on Fri, 10-15-10, 22:19

Sometimes, we do not realize that our diet does not provide us with sufficient dosage of iron, therefore iron supplement is needed.

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By Noble Sin on Sat, 12-25-10, 23:55

The only thing I would add, is if you have really depleted your bone iron stores, it might take up to a year of oral iron supplements to get back to normal. It does require a bit of patience. Although constipation is a normal side affect, you might experience diarrhea from the iron supplements. There are different formulas of iron supplements if you can't tolerate the ferrous sulfate. I had used a gentler chelate-type until I adapted to the sulfate tabs. I did have to add a Vit-C tab with the iron pills to help absorption. With my IDA, I didn't really have any side effects except that naps or sleeping extra was common desire for me, and it was only caught after I asked for a blood check. I am happy to be in a normal range now, but it really did take a full year of iron tabs (3 a day in the beginning)to get to where I am now.

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By Noble Sin on Sun, 12-26-10, 09:26

Well, I thought of something else to add- so here it goes: as I had been anemic for awhile (I didn't know it at the time, but anyway), my "normal anemic" sleep was very enjoyable, like a lot..(think " better-than-sex feeling"). So when I went on the iron pills and got better, I swore the pills where "messing" with my sleep. Yes, sleeping was good, but it wasn't the passed out dead-to the world drooling kind-of good that it use to be. Now I don't want to discourage anyone about the pills, this might not end up being a problem for you. I, myself, have since adapted to my "new normal" sleep and the daytime-more-awake feeling makes it well worth sticking to the iron pills.

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By puppydoglvr on Sun, 12-26-10, 11:54

Wow Noble Sin, thank you so much much for sharing and for all of the wonderful insight and information regarding anemia and iron supplements. This really helped me a lot, I truly appreciate it.

Sending you many positive vibes and wishing you all of the best.

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By Noble Sin on Sun, 12-26-10, 14:43

puppydoglvr,
I am more than happy to talk about it if it helps anyone, I really hadn't thought I'd have anything useful to add to the anemia group. I can empathize with how daunting it can be to try to stick with an iron pill regiment, though.

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By puppydoglvr on Sun, 12-26-10, 20:07

I think that the information that you provided is so incredibly important and helpful, and anything more that you can add would be so wonderful. Thank you!

I had a close friend start off anemic and she didn't nip it in the bud and it led to other more serious health issues. She had a serious sit down talk with me about the importance of keeping track of anemia and getting the appropriate amount of iron.

Sending you many positive vibes and wishing you all of the best.

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By puppydoglvr on Sun, 01-23-11, 14:03

Hi Bettyy, thank you so much! I pull a lot of the articles from various resources online, though some of my posts are my own :-)

Sending you many positive vibes and wishing you all of the best.

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By k7 on Mon, 01-31-11, 14:08

um i donated plasma and they said my iron was good weird since ive been anemic for soo long but i still get dizzy and tired the back of my head hurt sometimes like not enough oxygen though is that normal? and i do have vertical lines on my nails but isnt that supposed to be there? also sorry lots of /s but i also get sharp pains somtimes in lowerright back should i be concerned? or am i just being too nit picky? lol:)

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By puppydoglvr on Tue, 02-01-11, 13:25

Hi K7, I don't think that you are being nit picky whatsoever. Have you talked to your doctor about your dizziness and back pain? I would definitely do so if you haven't, because they can give you guidance on additional supplements and diet.

Sending you many positive vibes and wishing you all of the best.

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By April on Tue, 02-01-11, 13:53

Thanks Pup, this will help so many to break it down a bit & more thought through.

Love, April

Choose wisely, treat kindly

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By puppydoglvr on Tue, 02-01-11, 14:12

Thanks so much April, I hope so.

Sending you many positive vibes and wishing you all of the best.

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