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Iron-deficiency Anemia
Iron deficiency anemia should see which department?
Anemia is a condition characterized by a reduction in the total volume of red blood cells in the circulating blood to below normal levels. Iron deficiency anemia is a type of anemia caused by a lack of raw materials for blood production. Iron deficiency anemia occurs when the body's stored iron is depleted and cannot meet the needs for normal red blood cell production. Iron deficiency anemia is a common type of red blood cell disease and falls within the category of hematology. Therefore, patients with iron deficiency anemia should seek treatment in the department of hematology.
How long does iron deficiency anemia need to be treated?
Patients with iron deficiency anemia typically need several months of iron supplementation treatment. The specific reason is that after taking iron supplements, patients' subjective symptoms can recover quickly. The count of reticulocytes generally begins to rise within three to four days after starting the medication, reaching a peak around seven days. Hemoglobin levels notably increase within two weeks of treatment, and generally return to normal around two months. After correcting anemia, it is necessary to continue treatment for at least another three months because the body's iron stores need further supplementation. It is necessary to restore serum ferritin levels to fifty micrograms per liter to replenish these stores fully. This is required to achieve a true cure of iron deficiency anemia, as without this, patients are prone to relapse. Therefore, regular and long-term effective use of iron supplements is an essential basis for ensuring the treatment effectiveness of iron deficiency anemia.
What department should I go to for iron deficiency anemia?
Anemia refers to a condition in which the total volume of red blood cells in the circulating blood is reduced below normal levels, resulting in anemia. Iron deficiency anemia is a type of anemia caused by a lack of hematopoietic raw materials. Iron deficiency anemia occurs when the body's stored iron is depleted and cannot meet the needs for normal red blood cell production. As the most common type of red blood cell disease, iron deficiency anemia falls within the category of hematology. Therefore, patients with iron deficiency anemia should seek specialized consultation in the department of hematology. Furthermore, we recommend seeking medical advice as early as possible since moderate to severe iron deficiency anemia can lead to a series of circulatory disorders, thereby exacerbating the condition.
Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anemia
The treatment principles for iron deficiency anemia mainly involve two aspects. One is to identify the cause of the iron deficiency anemia. Once the cause is confirmed, fundamental treatment of the cause should be conducted to restore the body's normal iron stores. The second aspect is iron supplementation, which is recommended to be administered orally. The daily supplemental iron dose is approximately 150 to 200 milligrams, typically using ferrous preparations such as ferrous succinate, ferrous fumarate, ferrous gluconate, and iron dextran. It is suggested that iron supplements be taken with meals or after meals to reduce gastrointestinal irritation caused by the medication. Additionally, it is advised to avoid consuming tea, coffee, and other substances that could interfere with iron absorption during the treatment period.
The causes of iron deficiency anemia
The causes of iron deficiency anemia primarily refer to the disruption of the normal dynamic balance between iron absorption and excretion, leading to the consumption of stored iron as well as an increased need for iron and insufficient iron intake, especially in cases of chronic blood loss, resulting in a long-term negative iron balance. The causes of iron deficiency can be divided into two main aspects: insufficient iron intake and excessive iron loss. In the first aspect, decreased iron intake includes dietary insufficiency, meaning inadequate food intake, and reduced absorption, which includes decreased absorption due to lack of stomach acid and reduced absorption following gastric surgery. Excessive iron loss includes the following eight aspects: 1) gastrointestinal bleeding, which includes bleeding caused by tumors, gastrointestinal ulcers, gastritis, as well as bleeding due to parasites and hookworm infections. It also includes bleeding caused by hemorrhoids in men and arteriovenous malformations; 2) excessive menstrual bleeding; 3) frequent blood donations; 4) multiple pregnancies in women; 5) chronic intravascular hemolysis causing hemoglobinuria; 6) hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia; 7) primary pulmonary hemosiderosis; and 8) coagulation disorders or the use of anticoagulants leading to iron deficiency. These eight categories all result from excessive loss of iron, causing iron deficiency which leads to iron deficiency anemia.
How is iron deficiency anemia diagnosed?
The diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia includes two aspects: one is to establish whether there is anemia caused by iron deficiency, and the other is to clarify the cause of the iron deficiency. First, we need to carefully inquire and analyze the medical history, combined with the patient's physical examination, which can provide a series of clues for diagnosing iron deficiency anemia. A definitive diagnosis also requires laboratory evidence. Clinically, we can divide iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia into three stages: iron deficiency, iron-deficient erythropoiesis, and iron deficiency anemia. The following describes the diagnostic criteria for iron deficiency anemia specifically. Iron deficiency anemia is characterized by a significant reduction in hemoglobin in red blood cells, presenting as microcytic hypochromic anemia. Its diagnostic basis includes three aspects: first, conforming to the diagnosis of iron deficiency and iron-deficient erythropoiesis; second, having microcytic hypochromic anemia; and third, effective treatment with iron supplements. These three factors together can confirm the diagnosis of this disease.
The key to curing iron deficiency anemia
Iron deficiency anemia, a common and frequently occurring disease in the department of hematology, is not difficult to diagnose and treat. The key to treatment lies in addressing the cause of the iron deficiency, and it is essential to eliminate the underlying causes as much as possible. Using iron supplements alone can only restore blood counts; neglecting the primary disease will not lead to a complete cure of the anemia and can easily lead to recurrence. Treatment consists of two phases: first, the supplementation with iron supplements. After taking iron supplements for three to four days, an increase in reticulocytes will occur, reaching a peak around seven days, and hemoglobin will significantly rise after two weeks of medication, returning to normal levels after one to two months. However, after hemoglobin levels normalize, some patients may stop taking the medication. It is important to note that continuing to take iron supplements for three months is necessary to replenish the body's iron stores completely.
Characteristics of iron deficiency anemia blood picture
The clinical manifestations of iron deficiency anemia are due to the specific characteristics of anemia caused by iron deficiency and the underlying disease causing the iron deficiency. Its hematological characteristics present as typical microcytic hypochromic anemia. What does this concept mean? It refers to the values in a complete blood count where MCV is less than 80 femtoliters, MCH is less than 27 picograms, and MCHC is less than 30%. MCV refers to the average red blood cell volume, MCH refers to the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and MCHC refers to the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration of red blood cells. The extent of changes in red blood cell indices correlates with the duration and severity of anemia. The blood smear typically shows pale-stained red blood cells with an enlarged central pallor and varying sizes. Platelet count often tends to be high when there is concurrent bleeding and generally tends to be low in infants and children. White blood cell count is usually normal or slightly reduced, with normal differential. These are the hematological characteristics of iron deficiency anemia.
Iron deficiency anemia is what type of anemia?
Iron deficiency anemia refers to the anemia that occurs when the body's stored iron is depleted and cannot meet the needs for normal red blood cell production. Before the production of red blood cells is limited, the body's stored iron has already been exhausted. However, at this stage, the routine blood tests may not yet show obvious signs of anemia; this condition is then referred to as iron deficiency. The characteristics of iron deficiency anemia include a lack of stainable iron in the bone marrow and other tissues, as well as reduced serum ferritin and transferrin saturation, presenting as typical microcytic hypochromic anemia. Therefore, iron deficiency anemia is a type of microcytic hypochromic anemia and is classified according to the level of marrow proliferation as a hyperproliferative anemia.
Causes of Iron Deficiency Anemia
There are many reasons for iron deficiency anemia, which we can categorize into several aspects. The first aspect is a decrease in iron intake, including diet, meaning insufficient dietary intake. The second aspect is decreased absorption, such as the absence of a target organ for absorption or the lack of stomach acid affecting its absorption efficacy. The second aspect refers to excessive loss, most commonly chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, such as in patients with tumors, duodenal ulcers, gastric ulcers, gastritis, ulcerative colitis, a parasitic infection with hookworms, as well as hemorrhoids, and arteriovenous malformations, all of which can cause gastrointestinal bleeding leading to increased iron loss. Excessive menstrual flow in female patients, multiple blood donations, and multiple pregnancies can all lead to iron deficiency. These are the various causes related to iron deficiency.