Iron-deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia. It occurs when your body doesn’t have enough iron, which your body needs to make hemoglobin. When there isn’t enough iron in your blood, the rest of your body can’t get the amount of oxygen it needs.

1. IRON
DEFICIENCY
ANEMIA
By
Swarnakshi Upadhyay
Assistant Professor
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
CSJM University

2. DEFINITION
 Anemia occurs when you have a decreased level
of hemoglobin in your red blood cells (RBCs).
Hemoglobin is the protein in your RBCs that’s
responsible for carrying oxygen to your tissues.
 Iron-deficiency anemia is the most common type
of anemia. It occurs when your body doesn’t have
enough iron, which your body needs to
make hemoglobin. When there isn’t enough iron in
your blood, the rest of your body can’t get the
amount of oxygen it needs.

3. SYMPTOMS
 general fatigue
 weakness
 pale skin
 shortness of breath
 dizziness
 strange cravings to eat items with no nutritional value
 a tingling or crawling feeling in the legs
 tongue swelling or soreness
 cold hands and feet
 fast or irregular heartbeat
 brittle nails
 headaches

4. CAUSES
 Inadequate iron intake
 Pregnancy or blood loss due to
menstruation
 Internal bleeding
 Inability to absorb iron
 Endometriosis
 Genetics

5. RISK FACTORS
 women of childbearing age
 pregnant women
 people with poor diets
 people who donate blood frequently
 infants and children, especially those born prematurely or
experiencing a growth spurt
 vegetarians who don’t replace meat with another iron-rich food
 teenagers who have a greater need for iron in periods of rapid
growth
 adults over age 65
 people exposed to lead in their environment or water
 high performance and endurance athletes like marathon runners

6. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY

7. COMPLICATIONS
 Rapid or irregular heartbeat
 Pregnancy complications
 Delayed growth in infants and children