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Iron deficiency, or sideropenia, is the state in which a body lacks enough iron to supply its needs. Iron is present in all cells in the human body and has several vital functions, such as carrying oxygen to the tissues from the lungs as a key component of the hemoglobin protein, acting as a transport medium for electrons within the cells in the form of cytochromes, and facilitating oxygen ...
In order to test for an iron deficiency, providers tend to look at your ferritin, a protein found in your blood that contains iron. You can think of this number as a savings account, she says.
Iron-deficiency anemia is anemia caused by a lack of iron. [3] Anemia is defined as a decrease in the number of red blood cells or the amount of hemoglobin in the blood. [3] When onset is slow, symptoms are often vague such as feeling tired, weak, short of breath, or having decreased ability to exercise. [1]
Nutritional causes are vitamin and mineral deficiencies and non-nutritional causes include infections. The number one cause of this type of anemia, however, is iron deficiency. [12] An insufficient intake of iron, Vitamin B12, and folic acid impairs the bone marrow function. The lack of iron within a person's body can also stem from ulcer bacteria.
Unfortunately, iron deficiency affects a large proportion of the population, with some estimates suggesting iron-deficiency anemia impacts more than 1.2 billion individuals globally. And iron ...
Before iron deficiency anemia sets in, “the body will do everything it can to retain the right number of red blood cells. So, it will deplete the storage iron before it depletes the red blood ...
In iron deficiency, the bone marrow produces fewer blood cells, and as the deficiency gets worse, the cells become smaller. Most well-nourished people in industrialized countries have 4 to 5 grams of iron in their bodies (~38 mg iron/kg body weight for women and ~50 mg iron/kg body for men). [7]
Iron deficiency can also cause shortness of breath, and amplify the symptoms of any chronic condition, such as depression. It can also have an affect on your mood, ability to focus and sleep quality .