Are you always tired? Are you pale? It could be iron deficiency anemia.

Do you feel extremely tired all day long? Do you fall down after climbing a flight of stairs? Does your face and under your eyes look pale when you look in the mirror? Many of us put these things off, thinking, "It's probably because of overwork." But this could be a symptom of a very common health problem that we don't think about. That is iron deficiency anemia , or iron deficiency anemia as it is called in English. Today, we will talk about this very simply, in a way that you can understand.

Simply put, what is iron deficiency anemia?

Think of it this way: red blood cells are like a delivery service that carries oxygen throughout our bodies. These red blood cells carry the oxygen we take from our lungs to every cell and tissue in our bodies. So, for every part of our body to function properly, this oxygen delivery must be accurate.

These "vehicles" called red blood cells contain a special protein that helps them carry oxygen. We call it hemoglobin . Iron is an essential ingredient for making hemoglobin.

So, if for some reason your iron levels are low, your body can't make enough hemoglobin. Then your red blood cells can't carry oxygen properly. This is what we call iron deficiency anemia. This is why you feel tired and lethargic.

But don't worry, your doctor can find the cause and usually treat the condition with iron supplements. Once your iron levels return to normal, you will gradually start to feel better.

There are three stages of anemia.

This condition does not occur suddenly. It usually develops through three stages.

1. Stage 1: This is like the iron store room in your house starting to empty. This means that the body is getting less iron than it needs, so the iron stores in the body start to be used up. At this point, the red blood cells are not yet affected.

2. Second stage: Now that there is even less iron in the store room, the quality of the new red blood cells being made by the bone marrow decreases slightly. That is, even though red blood cells are made, they do not have enough hemoglobin.

3. Stage 3: This is when the disease really shows itself. Now that the body is completely iron-depleted, the hemoglobin level drops far below normal. This is when you start to experience symptoms of anemia.

Do you also have these symptoms?

In the early stages of anemia, there may be no symptoms. However, as the condition becomes more severe, the following symptoms may appear. Let's look at these in a table.

Why do we get iron deficiency?

There are several main reasons for this.

1. Not getting enough iron from food

If the foods we eat are low in iron, our body's iron levels will drop over time. This risk is especially high for people who eat only vegetarian foods. Also, growing children and young adults need more iron than the average person.

2. Blood Loss

This is the most common cause of iron deficiency.

• Heavy bleeding during periods in women: If you bleed heavily each month, your body's iron stores will be depleted quickly.
• Internal bleeding in the digestive system: Conditions such as peptic ulcers , colon polyps , and cancer can cause internal bleeding. This condition can also be caused by frequent use of painkillers (especially aspirin).
• Donating blood frequently: If you are a frequent blood donor, you should take care to replenish lost iron.

3. Pregnancy

During pregnancy, the iron in the mother's body is used to nourish the baby in the womb. The mother's blood volume also increases. Therefore, pregnant mothers need more iron than the average woman.

4. Difficulty absorbing iron

Even if we eat foods that contain iron, it is of no use if the body does not absorb it properly. Some medical conditions can impair this absorption. For example:

• Celiac disease
• Crohn's disease
• If you have had surgery on your intestine and a portion of it has been removed.

How do you find this, Doctor?

When you see a doctor, he will ask about your symptoms, examine you, and then order several blood tests to confirm the condition.

• Full Blood Count (FBC): This mainly checks the level of red blood cells and hemoglobin in your blood. These will be low if you have anemia.
• Serum Ferritin: This measures the amount of iron your body has stored. This value is greatly reduced in cases of iron deficiency.
• Peripheral Blood Smear: This involves looking at a sample of blood under a microscope to check the shape and size of the red blood cells. In iron deficiency, the red cells appear smaller and paler than normal.

If these tests confirm that you have iron deficiency anemia, your doctor may order further tests (e.g., endoscopy, stool test) to find out what the cause is .

How is it treated?

The best thing is that this is a very treatable condition.

Iron Supplements

Often, the doctor will prescribe iron pills for you to take.

Taking iron tablets with vitamin C makes it easier for the body to absorb iron. So your doctor will advise you about that as well.

Changing diet

While undergoing treatment, it is very important to adopt an iron-rich diet.

Other treatments

In some severe cases, or when iron tablets are not effective, you may need to have an IV iron infusion or a blood transfusion. Also, if the cause of the anemia is something like a stomach ulcer, that will need to be treated as well.