Iron Dificiency Anaemia [ Part 2]
What are the causes of iron deficiency anaemia?
A normal balanced diet will usually contain enough iron for the body's needs. A low level of body iron leading to anaemia can result from various causes. Some are more serious than others, and include the following.
Diet
Dietary deficiency of iron is the commonest cause of iron deficiency in our country. Foods rich in iron include jaggery, spinach, lentil (dal), dry fruits, dates (khajur), and finally chocolate!! Animal food is also rich in iron.
Heavy menstrual periods
About 1 in 10 women will become anaemic at some stage due to heavy periods. The amount of iron that you eat may not be enough to replace the iron that you lose with the blood each period. Having heavy periods does not always lead to anaemia. Anaemia is more likely to develop if you have heavy periods and eat a diet that contains little iron.
Pregnancy
The growing baby needs iron and will take it from the mother. Anaemia is common in pregnant women. It is more likely to develop during pregnancy if you eat a diet that has little iron.
Hookworm infection
This infection is one of the most common cause of iron deficiency anaemia in India. The worm feeds off blood inside the gut (intestine).
Poor absorption of iron
Some conditions of the gut (intestines) lead to poor absorption of various foods, including iron. Coeliac disease is an example.
Bleeding from the guts (intestines)
Several conditions of the gut can lead to 'internal bleeding'. Sometimes this is sudden, for example, after a burst duodenal ulcer. Vomiting or passing blood is then obvious.
However, often the bleeding is not obvious. A constant trickle of blood into the gut can be passed unnoticed in the stools (faeces). The iron that you may lose with the bleeding may be more than you eat. Conditions causing this include: stomach or duodenal ulcers, colitis, inflammation of the oesophagus (gullet), piles (haemorrhoids), tumours(cancers) of the bowel, and other rare bowel disorders. If you have one of these problems, you may have other gut symptoms such as stomach pains, constipation, or diarrhoea. However, in the early stages of these conditions, you may not have any symptoms, and anaemia may be the first thing that is noticed.
Medication
Some medicines which you may take for other conditions can sometimes cause bleeding into the gut without causing symptoms. The most common example is aspirin. Other anti-inflammatory painkillers, such as ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, etc, also have this side effect in some people.
Bleeding from the kidney
A small but regular trickle of blood from diseases of the kidney or bladder may not be noticed in the urine. However, enough may be lost to cause anaemia.
Continue----
Dr. Pritesh Junagade
Haematologist& Oncologist
