Iron deficiency anemia

Iron deficiency anemia

This is a condition in which there is not enough iron to produce hemoglobin which is a core component of red blood cells (RBCs) and thus, there is a decreased number of RBCs. Since RBCs are important for delivering oxygen to all organs in the body, symptoms of anemia include fatigue, shortness of breath or rapid heartrate with exertion, irritability, brittle nails, sore tongue, a craving for ice or non-food items like clay. The cause of iron deficiency is typically blood loss (from the gastrointestinal tract among others – certainly uterine bleeding is a common cause in women) or poor iron absorption from food. Gastroenterologists often evaluate the stomach, small intestine and colon for sources of bleeding such as polyps, masses, inflammation, abnormal blood vessels and sources of malabsorption such as celiac disease affecting the small intestine or various types of gastritis in the stomach. Treatment is often composed of identifying the source of blood loss and treating it if there is one as well as iron supplementation be it with oral supplements or with iron infusions.