Iron is an essential nutrient found mainly in red blood cells that is important for oxygen transport. It is absorbed in the duodenum and transported by transferrin protein to storage sites in the liver and macrophages or to red blood cell precursors in the bone marrow. Iron deficiency can cause anemia, which occurs when iron levels are too low to produce sufficient red blood cells. Common symptoms of iron deficiency anemia include pale skin, dizziness, and fatigue. It often results from blood loss or an inadequate iron intake and is most prevalent in infants, children, pregnant women, and women of childbearing age. Treatment involves dietary changes to increase iron intake as well as iron supplementation.

1. NEELU MARIAM VARGHESE

2.  Essential Bio element for most forms of life.
 Important for blood production.
 70% of body’s iron is found in RBC(Hemoglobin &
Myoglobin)
 Normal Range of Iron
Males : 4gms
Females :3.5gms
Children :3 or less than 3
 Daily normal diet contains 10-20 mg of Iron.
 Only about 10% of dietary iron is absorbed (1-
2mg/day)

3. IMPORTANCE OF IRON REGULATION::
 Cellular Respiration
 Oxygen Transport
 Toxicity

4.  Occurs in duodenum only
IRON TRANSPORT & STORAGE
i. Iron transport
 Transferrin is the major protein responsible for transport
 Majority of non-heme Fe in plasma is bound to this
 Carries Fe from mucosal cell,storage pool in hepocytes and
macrophages to RBC precussors in marrow.
ii. Iron storage
 Fe is stored in two forms: Ferritin & Hemosiderin
 Ferritin in hepocytes
 Hemosiderin in macrophage system.

6.  Meat & Fish
 Eggs
 Pulses & Beans
 Nuts & Seeds
 Dried fruits
 Liver
 Dark green leafy
vegetables

7. IRON DEFICIENCY & DISEASES

8.  Sideropaenia or Hypoferrimia
 Most common nutritional deficiency
 Leading cause of Anemia.
 State of Fe deficiency occurs when loss of iron is not
sufficiently compensated by adequate intake of Iron
from diet.
 Latent Iron Deficiency(LID)
:Iron Deficient Erythropoiesis(IDE)
:Medical condition of Iron deficiency without
anemia.

10. • Anemia : Condition in which our blood has a lower than
normal number of RBC
• Iron is an essential mineral that is needed to form Hb ,an
oxygen protein inside RBC.
• IDA – Condition in which body lack enough RBC to transport
oxygen rich blood to body tissues.
• Without enough iron , the body uses up all the iron it has
stored in liver, bone marrow and other organs.
• Once the stored Iron is depleted, the body is able to make
very few RBC’s.

11.  Infants
 Children under age 5
 Children of school age
 Women of child bearing age

12.  Hb<130 g/L in men older than 15 years
 110 g/L in pregnant women
 <120 g/L in non pregnant women older than
age 15 years

13. Iron Deficiency Anemia

15.  Blood loss
 Poor diet
 An inability to absorb
enough Iron from
food
 Pregnancy

16.  Blood lost causes iron depletion.
 In womens , long or heavy menustration or
bleeding fibroids in the uterus.
 Childbirth
 Slow chronic blood loss :peptic ulcer,hiatal
hernia,colorectal cancer
 Gastrointestinal bleeding.
 Poor Diet
 Low Iron intake(especially on pregnancy
&childhood)
 Iron rich foods(Meat,Leafy vegetables etc.)

17.  Body is unable to absorb iron if you have
intestinal surgery or a disease of the intestine.
 Prescription medicines that reduce acid in the
stomach also can interfere with iron
adsorption.
 Pregnancy
 In pregnant womens, iron stores need to serve
their own increased blood volume as well as be
a source of Hb for growing Fetus.

18.  Brittle nails
 Cracks in the sides of the mouth

19.  Chest pain

20. Pale skin
Dizziness

21. • Headache
• Shortness of breath
• Cold hands and feet
• Irritability
• An enlarged spleen
• Swelling or soreness of tongue.
• Some people who have IDA develops
Restless Legs Syndrome(RLS).RLS is a
disorder that causes a strong urge to
move the legs

22.  Growth problems
Problems with growth and development in
children.
 Angina(Chest Pain)
Rapid and irregular heart beat
Heart Failure.
 Problems during pregnancy
Premature birth
Low birth weight babies
Increase maternal and fetal mortality.

23.  Iron supplementation
 Dietary education
Choose Iron rich food
Choose food containing Vitamin C to
enhance iron absorption.

24.  Espanel C,Kafando E,Herault B,Petit A,Herault
O,et.al(2007)Iron deficiency aneamia:clinical
presentation,biological diagonosis and
management.Transfus Clin Biol 21-24
 Goddard AF,James MW,McINtyre AS,Scott
BB(2011)Guidelines for the management of
Iron deficiency Anemia.Gut 60:1309-1316
 World Health Organisation(2001)Iron
deficiency aneamia:assesment,prevention and
control.Nutrition,USA

25. THANK YOU