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Your heart must pump more blood to compensate for the lack of oxygen carried in your blood when you're anemic. Iron deficiency anemia may lead to a rapid or irregular heartbeat. However, left untreated, iron deficiency anemia can become severe and lead to health problems, including the following: Mild iron deficiency anemia usually doesn't cause complications. If you're told that you can't donate blood because of low hemoglobin, ask your doctor whether you should be concerned. Low hemoglobin related to blood donation may be a temporary problem remedied by eating more iron-rich foods. People who routinely donate blood may have an increased risk of iron deficiency anemia since blood donation can deplete iron stores. People who don't eat meat may have a greater risk of iron deficiency anemia if they don't eat other iron-rich foods. If your child isn't eating a healthy, varied diet, he or she may be at risk of anemia. Children need extra iron during growth spurts. Infants, especially those who were low birth weight or born prematurely, who don't get enough iron from breast milk or formula may be at risk of iron deficiency. Because women lose blood during menstruation, women in general are at greater risk of iron deficiency anemia. These groups of people may have an increased risk of iron deficiency anemia: Without iron supplementation, iron deficiency anemia occurs in many pregnant women because their iron stores need to serve their own increased blood volume as well as be a source of hemoglobin for the growing fetus. If part of your small intestine has been bypassed or removed surgically, that may affect your ability to absorb iron and other nutrients. An intestinal disorder, such as celiac disease, which affects your intestine's ability to absorb nutrients from digested food, can lead to iron deficiency anemia. Iron from food is absorbed into your bloodstream in your small intestine. For proper growth and development, infants and children need iron from their diets, too. Examples of iron-rich foods include meat, eggs, leafy green vegetables and iron-fortified foods.
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If you consume too little iron, over time your body can become iron deficient. Your body regularly gets iron from the foods you eat. Gastrointestinal bleeding can result from regular use of some over-the-counter pain relievers, especially aspirin. Slow, chronic blood loss within the body - such as from a peptic ulcer, a hiatal hernia, a colon polyp or colorectal cancer - can cause iron deficiency anemia. Women with heavy periods are at risk of iron deficiency anemia because they lose blood during menstruation. So if you lose blood, you lose some iron. Blood contains iron within red blood cells. If you aren't consuming enough iron, or if you're losing too much iron, your body can't produce enough hemoglobin, and iron deficiency anemia will eventually develop.Ĭauses of iron deficiency anemia include: Hemoglobin is the part of red blood cells that gives blood its red color and enables the red blood cells to carry oxygenated blood throughout your body. Iron deficiency anemia occurs when your body doesn't have enough iron to produce hemoglobin. Overloading the body with iron can be dangerous because excess iron accumulation can damage your liver and cause other complications.
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So see your doctor for a diagnosis rather than taking iron supplements on your own. Iron deficiency anemia isn't something to self-diagnose or treat. If you or your child develops signs and symptoms that suggest iron deficiency anemia, see your doctor.
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