Iron deficiency anemia is a medical health problem that occurs when the body lacks iron.
Lack of iron in the body reduces the number of healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin and makes them unable to function properly.
Because, red blood cells in the body are formed by iron. The body needs hemoglobin in red blood cells to bind and carry oxygen from the lungs to all organs of the body.
These red blood cells also play a role in removing carbon dioxide from the body’s cells to the lungs.
Without enough iron, the body cannot produce enough hemoglobin to carry oxygen.
As a result, this condition can make sufferers easily tired and short of breath.
In addition, if iron deficiency in anemia continues, then the iron reserves become completely empty.
This condition ultimately causes disturbances in the shape of erythrocytes.
Causes of Iron Deficiency Anemia
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), iron deficiency is one of the most common causes of anemia .
If a person does not have sufficient iron levels, the body cannot produce hemoglobin optimally.
In fact, hemoglobin is the part of red blood cells that gives blood its red color, and allows red blood cells to carry oxygenated blood throughout the body.
When the body does not have enough iron to produce hemoglobin, this type of anemia will develop.
The causes of this condition include:
- Significant blood loss
Blood contains iron in red blood cells. So if you lose blood, you will lose some iron.
There are a number of conditions that can trigger significant blood loss, namely:
- Heavy menstruation.
- Gastric ulcer.
- Hiatal hernia
- Have colon polyps or colorectal cancer.
Injuries or other conditions that cause a person to lose a lot of blood can also cause this condition.
- Lack of iron intake in the diet
If you consume too little iron, over time your body can become iron deficient.
This condition will eventually trigger the occurrence of this condition.
Therefore, it is important to consume iron-rich foods, such as liver, spinach, fish, and red meat.
If you want to know other foods that contain iron, read this article further: 9 Foods Containing Iron for Body Health .
- The body’s inability to absorb iron
Iron from food is absorbed into the bloodstream in the small intestine.
The presence of intestinal disorders, such as celiac disease, which affect the intestines’ ability to absorb nutrients from the food the body digests, can cause this condition.
- Pregnancy
Without adequate iron supplementation, iron deficiency anemia can occur in many pregnant women.
This is because the iron supply in a pregnant woman’s body plays an important role in increasing blood volume and being a source of hemoglobin for the growing fetus.
- Suffering from sickle cell anemia
Sickle cell anemia occurs due to genetic factors, the cause of which is imperfect red blood cells.
As a result, it cannot function properly to carry oxygen throughout the body.
- Use of certain medications
Some medications can inhibit iron absorption. One of these is heartburn medications such as antacids and proton pump inhibitors.
In addition, long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can also cause gastrointestinal bleeding resulting in anemia.
- Hookworm infection
This worm is a parasite that lives in the human small intestine. Hookworms digest and absorb red blood cells from the walls of the sufferer’s small intestine.
