FIND A HEALTH SERVICE — The Service Finder can help you find doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and other health services. ASK YOUR DOCTOR — Preparing for an appointment? Use the Question Builder for general tips on what to ask your GP or specialist. The only reliable way of telling if you are iron deficient is through a blood test to look at your iron levels and to check for anaemia.

You may also need other tests to find out what is causing the iron deficiency. You doctor may refer you to a specialist. The aim of treatment is to bring your iron levels back to normal. This can be done a few ways.

Depending on your needs, your doctor may recommend that you:. Some foods and drinks stop you from absorbing iron properly. You can try and eat less of these foods, such as:. They may make your stools poo dark, and can also cause constipation.

Your doctor may suggest you take a stool-softener to help with this. Click on this infographic to ensure you get an adequate iron intake from a balanced diet. Learn how much iron you need each day, which foods are the best sources of iron and how to include them in your diet.

Most people can prevent iron deficiency by getting enough iron in their diet. Check out the infographic above to find out:.

Iron deficiency can cause anaemia. This is when you don't have enough red blood cells or haemoglobin in the blood because of too little iron. You can call the healthdirect helpline on known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria. A registered nurse is available to speak with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.

Iron deficiency anaemia is when lack of iron means that the blood does not produce enough haemoglobin. A prolonged deficiency will produce anaemia. Read more on myDr website. Read more on Australian Red Cross Lifeblood website. Many children do not get enough iron from their diet to meet the demands of their growing bodies.

This can result in low body iron and eventually iron deficiency anaemia low haemoglobin. About iron and iron deficiency - symptoms, stages, causes, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, who is at risk, daily intake, food sources and supplements. Read more on Better Health Channel website.

Iron deficiency can be a nutritional problem for vegetarians, especially women. Find out about iron in food and how to enhance your iron absorption.

Iron is an essential trace element in your blood. It is necessary for forming healthy red blood cells, which carry oxygen through your body, and for some enz.

Read more on Pathology Tests Explained website. Iron is needed to help form adequate numbers of normal red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body. Iron is a critical part of haemoglobin, the p. Find out why iron is an essential nutrient for your wellbeing.

And how you can make sure your diet gives you the iron you need to live a healthy life. Read more on Dietitians Australia website.

Iron is an integral part of haemoglobin, the red protein that carries oxygen in the blood. An inadequate supply of iron is one cause of a fall in haemoglobin. Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common cause of anaemia. Iron deficiency without anaemia can cause a wide range of non-specific symptoms, such as poor productivity, fibromyalgia and restless legs syndrome.

Read more on Australian Prescriber website. Transferrin is the main protein in the blood that binds iron and transports it around the body. These tests either indirectly or directly measure the amount.

Authors' conclusions: This review is the most comprehensive summary of the evidence assessing the benefits and harms of intermittent iron supplementation in pregnant women on haematological and pregnancy outcomes.

Read more on Cochrane Australia website. The zinc protoporphyrin ZPP test is a blood test that can identify a disruption in the formation of haem. Haem is an essential component of haemoglobin, th. This test measures the amount of caeruloplasmin in the blood.

Caeruloplasmin is a copper-containing enzyme that plays a role in the body's iron metabolism. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices.

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Causes of iron deficiency anemia include: Blood loss. Blood contains iron within red blood cells. So if you lose blood, you lose some iron. Women with heavy periods are at risk of iron deficiency anemia because they lose blood during menstruation. Slow, chronic blood loss within the body — such as from a peptic ulcer, a hiatal hernia, a colon polyp or colorectal cancer — can cause iron deficiency anemia.

Gastrointestinal bleeding can result from regular use of some over-the-counter pain relievers, especially aspirin. A lack of iron in your diet. Your body regularly gets iron from the foods you eat. If you consume too little iron, over time your body can become iron deficient.

Examples of iron-rich foods include meat, eggs, leafy green vegetables and iron-fortified foods. For proper growth and development, infants and children need iron from their diets, too. An inability to absorb iron. Iron from food is absorbed into your bloodstream in your small intestine.

An intestinal disorder, such as celiac disease, which affects your intestine's ability to absorb nutrients from digested food, can lead to iron deficiency anemia. If part of your small intestine has been bypassed or removed surgically, that may affect your ability to absorb iron and other nutrients.

Without iron supplementation, iron deficiency anemia occurs in many pregnant women because their iron stores need to serve their own increased blood volume as well as be a source of hemoglobin for the growing fetus. These groups of people may have an increased risk of iron deficiency anemia: Women.

Because women lose blood during menstruation, women in general are at greater risk of iron deficiency anemia. Infants and children. Infants, especially those who were low birth weight or born prematurely, who don't get enough iron from breast milk or formula may be at risk of iron deficiency.

Children need extra iron during growth spurts. If your child isn't eating a healthy, varied diet, he or she may be at risk of anemia. People who don't eat meat may have a greater risk of iron deficiency anemia if they don't eat other iron-rich foods. Frequent blood donors.

People who routinely donate blood may have an increased risk of iron deficiency anemia since blood donation can deplete iron stores. Low hemoglobin related to blood donation may be a temporary problem remedied by eating more iron-rich foods. If you're told that you can't donate blood because of low hemoglobin, ask your doctor whether you should be concerned.

However, left untreated, iron deficiency anemia can become severe and lead to health problems, including the following: Heart problems. Iron deficiency anemia may lead to a rapid or irregular heartbeat.

Your heart must pump more blood to compensate for the lack of oxygen carried in your blood when you're anemic. This can lead to an enlarged heart or heart failure. Problems during pregnancy. In pregnant women, severe iron deficiency anemia has been linked to premature births and low birth weight babies.

But the condition is preventable in pregnant women who receive iron supplements as part of their prenatal care. Growth problems. In infants and children, severe iron deficiency can lead to anemia as well as delayed growth and development. Additionally, iron deficiency anemia is associated with an increased susceptibility to infections.

You can reduce your risk of iron deficiency anemia by choosing iron-rich foods. Choose iron-rich foods Foods rich in iron include: Red meat, pork and poultry Seafood Beans Dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach Dried fruit, such as raisins and apricots Iron-fortified cereals, breads and pastas Peas Your body absorbs more iron from meat than it does from other sources.

Choose foods containing vitamin C to enhance iron absorption You can enhance your body's absorption of iron by drinking citrus juice or eating other foods rich in vitamin C at the same time that you eat high-iron foods.

Vitamin C is also found in: Broccoli Grapefruit Kiwi Leafy greens Melons Oranges Peppers Strawberries Tangerines Tomatoes. Preventing iron deficiency anemia in infants To prevent iron deficiency anemia in infants, feed your baby breast milk or iron-fortified formula for the first year.

By Mayo Clinic Staff. Jan 04, Show References. Kaushansky K, et al. Iron deficiency and overload. In: Williams Hematology. New York, N. Accessed Oct. Schrier SL, et al. Treatment of iron deficiency anemia in adults. Iron-deficiency anemia. American Society of Hematology.

Vitamin C: Fact sheet for health professionals. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. What is iron-deficiency anemia? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Approach to the adult patient with anemia.

Mahoney DH, et al. Iron deficiency in infants and young children: Treatment. Iron: Fact sheet for health professionals. CBC with differential, blood.

Mayo Medical Laboratories. Mesa RA expert opinion. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. October 17, News from Mayo Clinic. Can blood donors suffer iron deficiency? Associated Procedures. Ferritin test. Hematocrit test.

read more iron-refractory iron deficiency anemia. Rarely, absorption is decreased by dietary deprivation due to undernutrition. Most symptoms of iron deficiency are due to anemia.

Such symptoms include fatigue, loss of stamina, shortness of breath, weakness, dizziness, and pallor. Another common symptom is restless leg syndrome Periodic Limb Movement Disorder PLMD and Restless Legs Syndrome RLS Periodic limb movement disorder PLMD and restless legs syndrome RLS are characterized by abnormal motions of and, for RLS, usually sensations in the lower or upper extremities, which may read more RLS , which is an unpleasant urge to move the legs during periods of inactivity.

In addition to the usual manifestations of anemia, some uncommon symptoms occur in severe iron deficiency. read more , an abnormal craving to eat nonfood substances eg, ice, dirt, paint, starch, ashes.

Other symptoms of severe deficiency include glossitis, cheilosis, and concave nails koilonychia. Complete blood count CBC , serum iron, iron-binding capacity, serum ferritin, transferrin saturation, reticulocyte count, red cell distribution width RDW , and a peripheral blood smear.

Iron deficiency anemia is suspected in patients with chronic blood loss or microcytic anemia, particularly if pica is present. In such patients, a CBC, serum iron and iron-binding capacity, and serum ferritin and reticulocyte count are obtained see table.

Iron and iron-binding capacity and transferrin saturation are measured because their relationship is important. Various tests exist; the range of normal values relates to the test used and varies from laboratory to laboratory.

Serum iron level is low in iron deficiency and in many chronic diseases and is elevated in hemolytic disorders Overview of Hemolytic Anemia At the end of their normal life span about days , red blood cells RBCs are removed from the circulation.

Hemolysis is defined as premature destruction and hence a shortened RBC life span read more and in iron-overload syndromes Overview of Iron Overload Typical adults lose about 1 mg iron Fe per day in shed epidermal and gastrointestinal cells; menstruating females lose on average an additional 0.

This iron loss The iron-binding capacity increases in iron deficiency, while the transferrin saturation decreases. Serum ferritin levels closely correlate with total body iron stores. However, ferritin is an acute-phase reactant, and levels increase in inflammatory and infectious disorders eg, hepatitis Overview of Acute Viral Hepatitis Acute viral hepatitis is diffuse liver inflammation caused by specific hepatotropic viruses that have diverse modes of transmission and epidemiologies.

A nonspecific viral prodrome is followed read more , and neoplastic disorders especially acute leukemia Overview of Leukemia Leukemia is a malignant condition involving the excess production of immature or abnormal leukocytes, which eventually suppresses the production of normal blood cells and results in symptoms read more , Hodgkin lymphoma Hodgkin Lymphoma Hodgkin lymphoma is a localized or disseminated malignant proliferation of cells of the lymphoreticular system, primarily involving lymph node tissue, spleen, liver, and bone marrow.

read more , and gastrointestinal tract tumors. The reticulocyte count is low in iron deficiency. The peripheral smear generally reveals hypochromic red cells with significant anisopoikilocytosis, which is reflected in a high red cell distribution width RDW.

The most sensitive and specific criterion for iron-deficient erythropoiesis is absent bone marrow stores of iron, although a bone marrow examination is rarely needed. The compensatory increase in iron absorption causes an increase in iron-binding capacity transferrin level.

During stage 2, erythropoiesis is impaired. Although the transferrin level is increased, the serum iron level decreases; transferrin saturation decreases.

Diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia prompts consideration of its cause, usually bleeding. Patients with obvious blood loss eg, women with menorrhagia may require no further testing. Men and postmenopausal women without obvious blood loss should undergo evaluation of the gastrointestinal GI tract, because anemia may be the only indication of an occult GI cancer.

Rarely, chronic epistaxis or genitourinary bleeding is underestimated by the patient and requires evaluation in patients with normal GI study results.

Iron deficiency anemia must be differentiated from other microcytic anemias see table. If tests exclude iron deficiency in patients with microcytic anemia, then the anemia of chronic disease Anemia of Chronic Disease The anemia of chronic disease is a multifactorial anemia.

Diagnosis generally requires the presence of a chronic inflammatory condition, such as infection, autoimmune disease, kidney disease read more and structural Hb abnormalities eg, hemoglobinopathies Sickle Cell Disease Sickle cell disease a hemoglobinopathy causes a chronic hemolytic anemia occurring almost exclusively in people with African ancestry.

It is caused by homozygous inheritance of genes for hemoglobin read more are considered. Clinical features, Hb studies eg, Hb electrophoresis and Hb A2 , and genetic testing eg, for alpha-thalassemia Alpha-thalassemia Thalassemias are a group of inherited microcytic, hemolytic anemias characterized by defective hemoglobin synthesis.

Alpha-thalassemia is particularly common among people with African, Mediterranean read more may help distinguish these entities. Iron therapy without pursuit of the cause is poor practice; a bleeding site should be sought even in cases of mild anemia.

Oral iron can be provided by various iron salts eg, ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate, ferrous fumarate or saccharated iron given 30 minutes before meals food or antacids may reduce absorption. A typical initial dose is 65 mg of elemental iron eg, as mg of ferrous sulfate given once a day or every other day 1 Treatment reference Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia and usually results from blood loss; malabsorption, such as occurs in celiac disease, is a much less common cause.

Larger doses are largely unabsorbed due to increased hepcidin production but increase adverse effects, especially constipation or other GI upset. Ascorbic acid either as a pill mg or as orange juice when taken with iron enhances iron absorption without increasing gastric distress.

Parenteral iron causes a more rapid therapeutic response than oral iron does but can cause adverse effects, most commonly allergic reactions or infusion reactions eg, fever, arthralgias, myalgias.

Severe anaphylactoid reactions Anaphylactoid reactions Anaphylaxis is an acute, potentially life-threatening, IgE-mediated allergic reaction that occurs in previously sensitized people when they are reexposed to the sensitizing antigen. read more were mostly caused by high molecular weight iron dextran , which is no longer available.

Parenteral iron is reserved for. Patients who steadily lose large amounts of blood because of capillary or vascular disorders eg, hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia is a hereditary disorder of vascular malformation transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait affecting men and women.

See also Overview of Vascular Bleeding Patients with a need for expedient iron repletion due to severe anemia, elective surgery, or third trimester of pregnancy. The dose of parenteral iron is calculated based on weight and current hemoglobin level but generally an initial cumulative dose of mg is sufficient.

The response to treatment is assessed by serial Hb measurements until normal RBC values are achieved. Hb rises little for 2 weeks but then rises 0. Anemia should be corrected within 2 months. A subnormal response suggests continued hemorrhage, underlying infection or cancer, insufficient iron intake, or malabsorption of oral iron.

If the symptoms of anemia, such as fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath, do not abate following resolution of the anemia, an alternative cause should be sought.

Moretti D, Goede JS, Zeder C, et al : Oral iron supplements increase hepcidin and decrease iron absorption from daily or twice-daily doses in iron-depleted young women. Blood 17 , doi: Iron deficiency anemia is usually caused by blood loss eg, gastrointestinal, menstrual but may be due to hemolysis, malabsorption, or increased demand for iron eg, in pregnancy, lactation, periods of rapid growth in children.

Differentiate iron deficiency anemia from other microcytic anemias eg, anemia of chronic disease, hemoglobinopathies. Iron deficiency typically causes low serum iron, high iron-binding capacity, and low serum ferritin levels. Oral iron supplements are usually adequate; use of parenteral iron is reserved for select patients.

Learn more about the Merck Manuals and our commitment to Global Medical Knowledge. Disclaimer Privacy Terms of use Contact Us Veterinary Manual. IN THIS TOPIC. OTHER TOPICS IN THIS CHAPTER. Iron Deficiency Anemia Anemia of Chronic Blood Loss; Chlorosis By Gloria F. View PATIENT EDUCATION.

Pathophysiology Etiology Symptoms and Signs Diagnosis Treatment Key Points. Hemoglobin: 2 g men , 1. Laboratory test results help stage iron deficiency anemia.

During stage 3, anemia with normal-appearing RBCs and indices develops. During stage 5, iron deficiency affects tissues, resulting in symptoms and signs. Oral supplemental iron. Having cancer, kidney failure, diabetes or another chronic condition increases the risk of anemia of chronic disease.

These conditions can lead to having too few red blood cells. Slow, chronic blood loss from an ulcer or other source within the body can use up the body's store of iron, leading to iron deficiency anemia.

Many types of anemia can't be prevented. But eating a healthy diet might prevent iron deficiency anemia and vitamin deficiency anemias.

A healthy diet includes:. If you're concerned about getting enough vitamins and minerals from food, ask your health care provider about taking a multivitamin. Anemia care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.

Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic Press. This content does not have an English version.

This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Anemia is a problem of not having enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the body's tissues. Aplastic anemia Iron deficiency anemia Sickle cell anemia Thalassemia Vitamin deficiency anemia. Request an appointment.

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Show references Your guide to anemia. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Accessed March 3, Means RT, et al.

Diagnostic approach to anemia in adults. March 3, Gado K, et al. Anemia of geriatric patients. Physiology International. Hematocrit blood test. Hemoglobin blood test. Anemia and pregnancy. Accessed March 6, Morrow ES Jr. Allscripts EPSi. Mayo Clinic. July 22, Related Associated Procedures Blood transfusion Bone marrow transplant Colonoscopy Complete blood count CBC Splenectomy Show more associated procedures.

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