Iron Deficiency Anemia
- Cellcount
- Jan 6
- 3 min read
In simple terms, anemia is a common blood condition that is caused by a deficiency of healthy red blood cells or a low level of hemoglobin. Anemia reduces the blood's ability to transport oxygen to organs and tissues, thus a common symptom is being pale, due to lower oxygen levels. The condition can be caused by many different factors, but one of the most prevalent is iron deficiency anemia. Today, iron-deficiency anemia affects “approximately 1.2 billion people worldwide, including 10 million in the US” according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine. Considering how many people suffer from this condition it is important to understand the causes, how it develops, the symptoms, how it is diagnosed, effective treatments, and recent research developments.
Knowing what causes iron-deficiency anemia is the first step to understanding why the condition begins. The most common cause of this type of anemia is blood loss. We often see blood loss in women who experience heavy menstrual bleeding, the heavy bleeding over time decreases their iron stores. Another cause is simply not eating enough iron-rich foods, like meat, leafy greens, and beans. Individuals could also be suffering from iron deficiency anemia because of poor absorption, which happens in conditions like celiac disease. Lastly we see the condition in pregnancy, rapid growth in children, and endurance athletes, because these individuals need more iron than an average person.
Due to these causes, iron-deficiency develops slowly over time. Because the condition develops gradually, immediate symptoms are often minimal or even overlooked. When symptoms do occur, individuals can typically look pale and experience fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, headaches or dizziness; and some even report having cold hands and feet. In addition to these common symptoms, iron-deficiency anemia can present itself through more specific signs, such as pica (cravings for non-food items like ice or dirt), brittle or spoon-shaped nails, sore mouth or tongue, and restless legs syndrome. Since these symptoms are linked specifically to an iron-deficiency it can be helpful for doctors when diagnosing what type of anemia the individual has.
To diagnose iron-deficiency anemia, doctors use blood tests because symptoms alone are not specific enough when it comes to finding a diagnosis. Doctors run a complete blood count test, commonly referred to as a (CBC). This test can tell your red blood cell count, and hemoglobin levels, two important factors in determining if it is an iron-deficiency anemia. The CBC test is a very easy, yet very informative test that gives doctors a full make-up of your various levels to help diagnose illnesses, monitor treatments, and check various health issues.
An easy solution to help iron-deficiency anemia is to replace the missing iron, therefore correcting the underlying cause. A common solution that many doctors recommend is to implement more iron rich foods into your diet, while simultaneously taking an iron supplement. Doctors will also stress the importance of taking a Vitamin C supplement to help aid in the iron absorption. If these lifestyle changes do not improve your red blood cell count or hemoglobin levels, or if iron levels need to be raised quickly, they will resort to iron transfusions through an IV. Other alternative methods to increase iron levels could be through hormonal contraceptives,if the heavy bleeding is causing the anemia. Overall, there are many ways to increase iron levels, and there are still more advancements being made to find better solutions to treating iron-deficiency anemia.
A relatively recent advancement made is the promotion of public health initiatives, raising awareness to the prominent issue. There have also been many news companies who have covered the vast amount of people suffering from iron-deficiency anemia, continuing to effectively raise the public's awareness on the issue. Innovative research that has been done, shows a new formulation, called ferric maltol, which has been demonstrated to help with better absorption and has fewer gastrointestinal side effects. Taking probiotics such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium has also been proven, through new research, to help with the gastrointestinal side effects. Common side effects of taking an iron supplement include constipation, diarrhea, cramps, nausea, and heartburn. With less side effects researchers found higher adherence to taking the supplements and therefore more successful results with increasing patients iron levels. With these advancements, we have successfully increased awareness to iron-deficiency anemia and found more effective solutions to treating the condition.
Written by Briana Martin
Edited by Mallory Kane MD
References
Mayo Clinic. Iron deficiency anemia . Mayo Clinic. Published January 4, 2022.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/iron-deficiency-anemia/symptoms-causes/syc-2
0355034
Casas B. Advancements in the Diagnosis and Management of Iron-Deficiency Anemia.
Hematology and Blood Disorders. 2024;7(4). doi:https://doi.org/10.35841/aahbd-7.4.196
Auerbach M, DeLoughery TG, Tirnauer JS. Iron deficiency in adults. JAMA. 2025;333(20).
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