Iron deficiency in the blood
Iron deficiency in the blood
A large percentage of children suffer from anemia, which means a lack of red blood cells or the hemoglobin they contain (hemoglobin). There are many types of anemia that differ according to their causes, but iron deficiency anemia is the most common among children.
* Iron deficiency anemia…
If we wanted to build a house using only cement!! And without steel to support the building!!! Can we build it? If (we did the impossible…) and built it, what would the building look like without iron? Will it last long???
Let us take advantage of this example and apply it to the human body and imagine that red blood cells are like “cement” and that forming their proper shape and function requires hemoglobin, which depends (like a house) on iron for its formation!!!!
Based on this example, we must know that children (as well as adults) need iron to form hemoglobin inside red blood cells, which in turn transports oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Iron is also involved in the synthesis of some enzymes (substances necessary for reactions within the body). In the substance myglobin found in the muscles, which has an important role in the child’s activity and vitality, we must know that iron deficiency in the blood is the main cause of anemia.
*But why does iron deficiency occur?
Iron deficiency may occur as a result of malnutrition and lack of intake of food rich in iron (the most common cause), and it may occur in other cases as a result of small and chronic blood loss from the body, such as cases of infection with some worms, an allergy to cow’s milk protein, or malabsorption from the intestines.
* How to diagnose..
Iron deficiency can be diagnosed clinically when there is a deficiency in the child’s growth beyond normal rates, poor appetite, fatigue and exhaustion from the slightest effort, lack of concentration and low academic level of the child, change in the child’s behavior, mood swings and tension, increased susceptibility of the child to infections, in addition to paleness of the face and hands, and it is confirmed Diagnosis is done by measuring hemoglobin and iron levels in the blood.
* Prevention and treatment..
Newborn babies are born with enough iron stores for five to six months, but after that they become vulnerable to iron deficiency if they do not have external sources for it. Breastfeeding is the best way to prevent anemia in the first six months because the absorption of breast milk is better than that. It is found in manufactured milk. After the sixth month, it is recommended to provide the child with iron from natural sources such as red meat, liver, eggs, iron-fortified grains, as well as legumes and leafy vegetables such as cabbage and cauliflower, and to add foods rich in vitamin C through additional meals such as fruits. To help absorb iron. It is also recommended to avoid substances that reduce the absorption of iron from the intestines, such as tea.
Mostly, the child needs daily (regular) doses of iron drops (according to his weight and under the supervision of the doctor), and with them, God willing, the symptoms of iron deficiency disappear, blood levels improve, and iron stores inside the body rise within a period extending to three months from the start of treatment, if we rule out any other causes of iron deficiency. .