Anemia-Iron Deficiency (Iron Deficiency Anemia, IDA) is the most common form of anemia. Its incidence is significantly higher in developing countries, economically underdeveloped regions, and among infants and women of childbearing age. Iron deficiency anemia is a small-cell hypochromic anemia caused by a decrease in hemoglobin synthesis due to iron deficiency in the body.
Criteria for Diagnosing Anemia-Iron Deficiency
In general, anemia is diagnosed in adult males with Hb <120 g/L, adult females (non-pregnant) with Hb <110 g/L, and pregnant women with Hb <100 g/L.
Average red blood cell index
1. Mean red blood cell volume (MCV)
MCV = specific volume of red blood cells per liter of blood/number of red blood cells per liter of blood = HCt/RBC (FL)
2. Mean red blood cell hemoglobin content (MCH)
MCH = hemoglobin content per liter of blood/number of red blood cells per liter of blood = Hb/RBC (PG)
3. Mean red blood cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHC)
MCHC = hemoglobin content per liter of blood / specific volume of red blood cells per liter of blood = Hb/Hct (g/L)
Diagnostic criteria for the three stages of Anemia-Iron Deficiency
Depletion of stored iron (ID)：
1. Serum ferritin <14ug/L
2. Bone marrow iron staining shows the disappearance of small particles of stainable iron in bone marrow
3. hemoglobin and serum iron are still normal
Intraerythrocytic iron deficiency (IDE)：
- Serum ferritin <14ug/L
- Bone marrow iron staining shows the disappearance of bone marrow granules of stainable iron
- Transferrin saturation <0.15
- FEP/Hb (erythrocyte free protoporphyrin/hemoglobin) >4.5ug/gHb
- Hemoglobin and serum iron indicators are still normal
Iron deficiency anemia (IDA)：
1、Serum ferritin <14ug/L
2、Bone marrow iron staining shows the disappearance of small particles of stainable iron in bone marrow
3、Transferrin saturation <0.15
4、Microcytic hypochromic anemia: Hb<120 g/L in men, Hb<110 g/L in women, Hb<100 g/L in pregnant women
MCV<80fl, MCH<27pg, MCHC<0.32.
Etiology of Anemia-Iron Deficiency
1、Increased iron requirement and insufficient iron intake
Most commonly seen in infants and young children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women. Infants and young children need more iron, and if they do not supplement eggs, meat and other supplementary foods with high iron content, iron deficiency will be easily caused. Adolescents are prone to iron deficiency if they are partial eaters. Women with increased menstruation, pregnancy or breastfeeding, the need for iron increases, if not supplemented with foods high in iron, it is easy to cause IDA.
2、Iron absorption disorder
It is common after major gastric resection, when gastric acid secretion is insufficient and food rapidly enters the jejunum, bypassing the main absorption site of iron (duodenum), resulting in reduced iron absorption. In addition, a variety of causes of gastrointestinal tract dysfunction, such as long-term unexplained diarrhea, chronic enteritis, clonorchiasis, etc. can be due to iron absorption disorders and IDA.
3、Excessive iron loss
Chronic long-term iron loss and not corrected will cause IDA, such as
Chronic gastrointestinal blood loss (including hemorrhoids, gastroduodenal ulcers, esophageal hiatal hernia, gastrointestinal polyps, gastrointestinal tumors, parasitic infections, ruptured esophageal/basal varices, etc.)
Excessive menstrual flow (gynecological disorders such as intrauterine device placement, uterine fibroids and menstrual disorders)
Hemoptysis and alveolar hemorrhage (pulmonary ferritinosis, pulmonary hemorrhage-nephritis syndrome, tuberculosis, bronchiectasis, lung cancer, etc.)
Hemoglobinuria (paroxysmal sleep hemoglobinuria, cold antibody type autoimmune hemolysis, cardiac prosthetic valves, marching hemoglobinuria, etc.)
Others (hereditary hemorrhagic capillary dilatation, chronic renal failure on hemodialysis, multiple blood donations, etc.).
Primary Manifestation of Anemia-Iron Deficiency
1, pallor, weakness, easy fatigue, dizziness, tinnitus, palpitations, shortness of breath.
2, abnormal mental behavior: irritability, irritability, inattention, heterophagia (e.g. preference for eating dirt, cinders, raw rice, etc.).
3, decreased physical strength and endurance.
4, susceptibility to infection.
5, growth retardation and mental retardation in children
6, stomatitis, tongue inflammation, tongue papillae atrophy, iron deficiency swallowing difficulties.
7, hair dryness, detachment.
8, lack of luster, brittle and easy to crack nails, heavy nail flattening, or even anti nail (spatulate nail).
9, Iron deficiency primary manifestation: black stool, bloody stool, abdominal discomfort, etc.
Treatment of Anemia-Iron Deficiency
Our blood contains a variety of blood cells. Among them, red blood cells assume the function of transporting oxygen, which is achieved by the hemoglobin inside. If, for various reasons, the amount of hemoglobin in the body is low to a certain level, it is anemic. To treat this according to the Western medical norm of blood supplementation, one must take iron supplements to help the synthesis of hemoglobin. So the following said blood supplementation, and Qi and blood deficiency has nothing to do with ha.
The human body has three major sources, the first is to eat in the food, the second is the body to recycle the old and weak red blood cells (red blood cells life wrinkled for 120 days) in the iron, and then made into new red blood cells, the third is the original existence of iron in the tissue, when the body is anemic or ischemic blood will be released for consumption. So there are only two ways to replenish blood, dietary and medicinal supplements. But the best source of iron supplementation is the food you eat. So first of all, we must ensure a healthy and reasonable dietary structure, do not pick things to eat, not to mention blind dieting to lose weight.
Food supplement is iron-rich food, lean meat, pork liver, etc.
Beef: iron content of 3.3mg/100g
Pork blood: iron content 8.7mg/100g
Pig liver: iron content of 22.6mg/100g, pig liver belongs to the blood iron with high absorption rate, iron is very easy to be absorbed by the body, for patients with iron deficiency anemia, instead of supplementing iron which is more difficult to be absorbed (belongs to non-blood iron), it is better to supplement the blood iron which is better absorbed in appropriate amount. Pig's liver is also rich in vitamins a and d. However, because of its high sodium content, protein, cholesterol and Pring, it is recommended that it be used once a week, after all, excessive intake may cause excessive cardiovascular and renal burden.
Spinach: Spinach is rich in iron, but some experts believe that the iron in spinach is not easily absorbed by the body. The blood tonic effect of spinach is related to its rich content of carotene, vitamin c. Carotene can cure night blindness and also regulates various cellular functions, which is beneficial for various bleeding disorders. The vitamin is a reducing agent that can reduce trivalent iron in the body to divalent iron so that it can be absorbed by the body and has a therapeutic effect on anemia.
Dried longan meat: rich in iron, a large number of vitamins and glucose, sucrose, etc., for forgetfulness, palpitations, insomnia of neurasthenia, etc. have a good therapeutic effect.
Black sesame seeds: sesame seeds enter the liver, kidney, lung and spleen meridians, and have the effect of nourishing the blood and brightening the eyes, producing proficient milk and benefiting the liver. The consumption of sesame seeds can promote the kidney blood, liver blood and spleen blood function.
Colla Corii Asini: A spoonful of Colla Corii Asini with black beans and black sesame walnut powder every day will keep menstrual cramps away from you and normalize the volume of your periods.
Pumpkin: rich in vitamins and a lot of iron, these substances are very good for women, can replenish blood and protect the liver, especially the physiological period always feel sick people, must eat more pumpkin. Pumpkin can make the skin become tender, can treat inflammation of the stomach, pregnant women eat more pumpkin can also prevent pregnancy edema, but pumpkin contains high sugar, not suitable for diabetics and people with stomach problems.
Grapes: legendary blood tonic, it contains a lot of glucose, which is very good for the heart, and because it contains very high iron, it can replenish qi and blood. It can be a good treatment for anemia, neurasthenia, and relatively low platelets. Eat a few of them every day, the skin is naturally hydrated.
Fresh fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, spinach, etc. Rich in vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin C can help the conversion and utilization of iron, folic acid can prevent pernicious anemia, is conducive to the synthesis of hemoglobin. In addition, there are also some containing substances and seasonings with iron fortification, such as rich powder, soy sauce, sugar, salt, etc., which can be appropriately selected for consumption and are very beneficial for the prevention of anemia.
PS: Adequate intake does not necessarily solve the anemia problem completely, but also requires our body to absorb and utilize as much as possible to do so. Generally speaking, the absorption rate of iron in plant-based foods is lower than that of animal-based foods. For example, animal meat and liver have an absorption rate of 22% and fish 11%, while plant foods such as wheat, black beans and corn are all less than 5%.
Medicinal supplements are synthetic drugs containing iron, such as polysaccharide chelates.
"Dietary supplement is better than a medicinal supplement?" Many people think that medicine is not good and it is better to take dietary supplements. Well, for people with mild iron deficiency anemia to come to water, simply increasing the intake of animal-based diet is enough. But for people with chronic anemia, it is not enough to simply supplement the iron deficiency in the blood, but also to supplement the body's stored iron. In today's food-rich world, for most people with iron deficiency anemia, most of them have a single iron deficiency, and they may also have a combination of other nutritional excesses, such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes, fatty liver, etc. For such people, long-term intake of large amounts of lean meat and pork liver will certainly cause more serious nutritional overload than it is worth. Therefore, it is safer for such people to choose simple iron supplements even if they are only mildly anemic.
Iron deficiency anemia patients daily diet taboos
1. Do not eat more garlic
Garlic contains more volatile substances: it can lower blood sugar, and eating more garlic can inhibit gastric juice secretion; raw and cooked products can reduce hemoglobin and red blood cells, so people with deficient gas and weak blood should not eat more garlic.
2. Avoid fried food
The good or bad gastrointestinal function of anemia patients directly affects the recovery of the disease. The fried and deep-fried foods, on the one hand, have destroyed a lot of nutrients, and on the other hand, they affect digestion and absorption, causing intestinal dysfunction.
3. Avoid tea and coffee
Patients with anemia better not drink tea, more tea wisdom to make the symptoms of anemia more serious. Because the iron in food, is in the form of 3-valent colloidal iron hydroxide into the digestive tract. By the action of gastric juice, high-valent iron is converted into low-valent iron before it can be absorbed. And tea contains tannic acid, after drinking easily into insoluble iron tannate, hindering the absorption of iron.
In addition, milk and some drugs that neutralize stomach acid can also hinder the absorption of iron, so try not to consume it together with iron-containing foods. Excessive carbohydrates, large amounts of dietary fiber, phytic or oxalic acid (found in large amounts in vegetables that need to be blanched) can all limit iron absorption.
4. Dates
Many people would consider red dates to be a blood tonic, but in fact they do not contain much iron and the iron they do contain is not easily absorbed by the body. Compared to pork liver, red dates contain about 3mg of iron per 100g, which is really little. The role of red dates is mainly to replenish Qi, it can nourish blood but the effect is weak. Eating a little every day is also a useful supplement, but ultimately it cannot be used as the main way to replenish blood.
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See also:
2. What Is Blood Test For Iron Called?
3. 2022 Best Home Hemoglobin Meter Buyers Guide
4. Can I take anemia tests at home?
5. How to choose the at-home kidney test？
6. What main factors influence the hemoglobin test for results?