Posted on February 19, 2010.
Iron, iron deficiency symptoms and iron rich foods Iron deficiency means less than adequate levels of iron in the body.
Iron is an essential component of hemoglobin - the pigment that transports oxygen in the blood. Iron deficiency tires easily because people are starving their bodies of oxygen. Without enough iron, the fuel the body may not be properly synthesized.
Iron deficiency is the most common cause of low red blood cell count or anemia throughout the world. Women are more prone to iron deficiency. In general, it affects about 10 percent of pre-menopausal women, 6 percent of postmenopausal women, and less than 2 percent of men.
The symptoms of iron deficiency:
aec If a person is healthy, the symptoms appear after hemoglobin drops below 10 g / dl.
aec Early symptoms include fatigue, dizziness and palpitations fast (tachycardia).
aec Shortness of breath on exertion, however slight.
aec Pale appearance
aec Fainting
aec If iron deficiency is severe, angina (chest pain), headache and leg pain (difficulty walking).
In cases of iron deficiency pronounced visible symptoms appear in the tongue and throat, and include:
aec a burning sensation in the tongue.
aec Drought in the mouth and throat.
aec sores at the corners of the mouth.
aec nails become brittle
aec pica (an insatiable craving for a particular food, often rich in iron)
aec brittle hair.
aec difficulty swallowing.
What are the causes of iron deficiency?
Bone marrow of humans need iron, and vitamins, to produce hemoglobin and red blood cells. Our bodies are vitamins and iron from the food we eat, and also recycles iron from old red blood cells.
Iron deficiency can cause anemia - When the body lacks enough iron to make hemoglobin.
Causes of iron deficiency include:
# Pregnancy - Iron deficiency can occur in many pregnant women because their iron stores need to serve their own increased blood volume and as a source of hemoglobin for the growing fetus.
Women # Blood loss - with heavy periods are at risk for iron deficiency because they lose a lot of blood during menstruation. Other causes may be peptic ulcer, hernia, a kidney or bladder tumors, polyps or uterine fibroids. Gastrointestinal bleeding due to regular use of aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be a source of iron loss.
# A lack of iron in the diet - foods rich in iron are meat, eggs, green leafy vegetables like spinach, whole grains or foods fortified with iron.
Inability to absorb iron # - perhaps due to some bowel disorders like Crohn's disease or celiac disease, which affects the ability of the intestine to absorb nutrients from food.
Diseases such # as leukemia, cancer of the stomach piles.
Who are at risk for iron deficiency?
# Seniors - perhaps due to an internal bleeding usually caused by chronic ulcers, polyps, tumors.
# People who have lost their teeth because they have difficulty eating a good diet. These people should take a multivitamin and mineral supplements containing iron.
# Women, especially those very rules.
# Pregnant women - must take a daily supplement containing iron to provide the extra iron needed to nourish the developing fetus.
How iron deficiency be treated?
The treatment certainly depends on the cause of iron deficiency. If iron deficiency is not treated, bal.
