Iron Deficiency Anemia
What is it?
Iron deficiency anemia is a condition in which a child’s body lacks enough iron to make sufficient hemoglobin — a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. This results in a decrease in the number of red blood cells in the body, leading to fatigue, weakness, and pallor. Red blood cells are microcytic and hypochromic. (Small and less red).
Symptoms
Fatigue
The child has less energy
Spoon-shaped nails
Due to decreased nutrients to nails
Pallor & cold extremities
Pale Skin and cool hands and feet
Pica
Pica is craving non-food items such as dirt
Poor Growth
Slow growth and development. Poor school performance
Treatment
- Foods rich in iron include red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, lentils, leafy green vegetables, and fortified cereals
- Iron supplements (Oral or IV, depending on severity).
F Fish
O Oysters
R Red Meats
E Egg Yolks
S Seeds
T Tuna/Tofu
IÂ Iron-Fortified Cereals
A Apriccots
L Legumes/Leafy greens
Iron Supplements
- Take with Vitamin C (orange juice, tomato juice) to increase absorption
- Better to give between meals but may administer with food if clients gets nauseous
- Liquid may stain teeth (use a straw)
- Do not take with milk (calcium ↓ absorption)
- Side effects: nausea, vomiting, black tarry stool, constipation
- Eat fiber to avoid constipation
- Keep away from children. Toxic in large amounts
Diagnostic Labs
- Complete blood count (CBC): measures the levels of various blood cells, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Small and Pale RBCs
- Ferritin: measures the amount of iron stored in the body. LOW
- Serum iron: measures the amount of iron in the blood. LOW
- Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC): measures the amount of transferrin in the blood – a protein that binds to iron and transports it throughout the body. HIGH. Why high? Think about it. There is not enough iron so there are a lot of empty binding sites.
- Transferrin saturation: measures the amount of iron bound to transferrin. LOW